GUINEVERE'S 
LOVER 


ELINOR 


lirs.  P.  A.  Bis'aardson 

129  N.Kenwood  St. 

Glendale,  Cal. 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 


GUINEVERE'S 
LOVER 


.     BY 

n 


ELINOR  GLYN 

AUTHOR  OF 
THE  REASON  WHY,  HIS  HOUR,  ETC. 


1^?      g& 

Po*>          d^ 
gxocs 

o)3<o 


N  EW     YORK 

GROSSET    &    DUNLAP 

PUBLISHERS 


COPYBIGHT,  1913,  BY 

D.  APPLETON  AND   COMPANY 


Copyright,  1912-1913,  by  the  STAR  Co. 


"Guinevere's  Lover"  is  called  in  England  "The  Sequence." 


GUINEVERE'S   LOVER 


2135775 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

CHAPTER  I 
APRIL  1905 

nALF  an  hour  ago  the  butler  announced,  "  Sir 
Hugh  Dremont." 
I  was  helping  Harriet,  the  head  housemaid, 
to  arrange  the  ground-floor  library  curtains 
as  I  liked,  and  was  up  on  the  step-ladder,  quite  unpre- 
pared for  visitors,  but  Harriet  went  out  of  the  room 
hurriedly  and  I  got  down  and  shook  hands. 

"  I  have  disturbed  you,"  Sir  Hugh  said,  but  he 
made  no  apology,  so  I  answered  as  well  as  I  could. 

"  You  are  such  a  near  neighbor.  I  am  very  glad  to 
see  you  —  won't  you  sit  down?  " 

He  looked  bored,  but  he  sank  inflb  one  of  the  uncom- 
fortable chairs. 

**  I  did  not  know  if  you  were  ready  to  receive  visitors 
yet,"  he  said,  "  but  I  was  riding  past,  and  was  only 
going  to  leave  a  card,  when  your  servant  said  you  were 
at  home." 

"  I  am  arranging  this  room,"  I  answered.  "  The 
house  has  been  neglected  for  so  long.  My  husband  has 
not  been  here  for  twenty  years,  and  I  had  never  seen  it 
before  a  fortnight  ago,  when  we  came." 


GUINEVERE'S   LOVER 

We  said  a  few  more  ordinary  things,  and  I  had  time 
to  take  in  his  appearance. 

He  is  very  tall  and  thin,  and  stoops  rather,  whicK 
is  what  I  do  not  like,  his  face  is  as  stern  as  a  face  can 
be,  and  he  has  very  small  whiskers,  cut  very  close, 
which  give  him  a  strange,  old-fashioned  look.  One  ex- 
pects to  see  a  stock.  His  nose  is  large  and  rather 
aquiline,  and  his  eyes  are  large  and  deeply  set,  but 
I  do  not  know  of  what  color  they  are  —  dark-blue 
or  gray,  I  expect.  He  looks  indifferent  and  disagree- 
able. 

He  must  be  at  least  thirty-five,  because  I  remember 
Humphrey  speaking  of  his  coming  of  age,  as  an  event 
which  took  place  just  before  our  marriage,  and  that 
will  be  fourteen  years  ago  this  May. 

It  is  absurd  that  I  should  find  thirty-five  old,  con- 
sidering that  I  am  nearly  thirty-one  myself,  but  I  have 
never  had  anything  but  old  people  about  me  —  who  are 
cross  or  tired  of  life,  and  I  long  for  something  young 
and  joyous,  who  still  believes  in  things. 

Algernon  is  only  thirteen,  but  he  does  not  believe  in 
very  much  more  than  Humphrey  does.  They  are  dis- 
tressingly alike,  my  son  and  his  father.  Sir  Hugh  did 
not  seem  to  be  taking  much  interest  in  our  conversa- 
tion. He  stared  out  of  the  window  most  of  the  time, 
and  then  he  said  suddenly: 

"  There  is  the  General  coming  across  the  courtyard. 
By  Jove !  How  little  changed  he  is !  " 

My  gaze  followed  his,  and  it  seemed  that  I  took  in 
Humphrey  with  fresh  eyes,  and  I  realized  it  was  true, 
for  except  that  his  hair  is  white  in  places,  and  his 
glance  is  more  fierce,  and  the  sardonic  expression  round 
his  mouth  is  now  cut  in  two  deep  lines,  he  does  not  look 
yery  different  from  the  beau  sdbreur,  whom  my  father 

a 


GUINEVERE'S    LOVER 

brought  into  the  schoolroom,  and  afterwards  told  me  I 
was  to  marry  in  a  few  weeks. 

Humphrey  was  forty-five  then,  and  I  was  nearly 
seventeen.  But  I  always  hate  to  think  of  those  old 
days.  How  frightened  I  was  of  him  —  and  am  still ! 

His  rasping  voice  and  arrogant  martinet  manner 
have  increased  with  time.  My  sister  Letitia  says  he 
was  very  attractive  when  I  married  him,  and  had  been 
the  lover  of  a  number  of  desirable  women,  but  I  never 
was  able  to  see  his  charm. 

"  You  have  been  out  of  England  for  years,  have  you 
not? "  Sir  Hugh  asked,  as  Humphrey  disappeared 
from  view,  going  to  the  entrance.  "  And  your  tenants 
were  seldom  here.  The  villagers  will  be  glad  you  have 
come  back  at  last." 

"  Humphrey  always  said  a  home  was  a  discourage- 
ment to  his  military  duty,"  I  answered,  "  and  he  would 
not  return  until  he  was  free.  Then  since  he  left  the 
Army  we  have  wandered  about  abroad  for  the  last  three 
years,  because  the  Morleys'  lease  was  not  yet  up  —  but 
now,  I  suppose  we  shall  remain  here  for  the  rest  of  our 
lives !  " 

"  This  part  of  the  world  is  very  isolated.  You  will 
find  there  are  hardly  any  neighbors,  and  only  one  or 
two  of  the  old  people  left,  besides  myself,"  and  Sir 
Hugh  looked  at  me  suddenly,  and  showed  singularly 
strong  white  teeth,  as  he  smiled  a  little.  Perhaps  he  is 
not  so  disagreeable,  after  all. 

"  I  like  solitude.  That  is  why  I  spend  so  much  time 
at  Minton  Dremont,"  he  went  on.  "  Your  husband  is 
such  an  old  friend  of  mine.  I  hope  you  will  come  and 
dine  with  me  some  day  soon." 

At  that  moment,  Humphrey  opened  the  door,  and 
came  in  with  a  crisp,  hearty  greeting. 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

They  talked  about  the  world  they  knew,  and  then 
of  horses,  and  what  were  the  hunting  prospects  of  next 
s°ason,  and  what  had  been  the  record  of  last. 

It  must  be  nice  to  have  some  absorbing  interest  like 
that,  which  makes  you  friendly  with  people  at  once, 
and  bridges  the  years.  I  felt  stupid  and  stiff  while  I 
spoke  to  Sir  Hugh  alone.  I  have  always  been  obliged 
to  conceal  my  real  feelings  and  tastes,  and  never  have 
been  allowed  to  enjoy  them,  so  that  now  I  seem  always 
to  wear  a  mask,  and  answer  like  an  automaton. 

Humphrey  speaks  of  everything  as  his  —  never  ours. 
To  hear  him  you  would  think  he  was  the  only  person 
in  the  case.  He  is  going  to  have  this  or  that  tree  cut 
down.  He  is  going  to  do  so  and  so  with  the  garden. 

"  I  hope  I  shall  soon  be  settled  comfortably ;  and 
then  my  wife  and  I  will  dine  with  pleasure,"  he  said 
finally,  and  Sir  Hugh  prepared  to  go. 

"  It  is  awfully  interesting,  this  house,"  he  told  me, 
as  we  walked  with  him  through  the  vaulted  stone  pas- 
sage to  the  entrance  hall,  "  full  of  histories  and  thrill- 
ing stories.  We  are  very  proud  of  it  in  the  neighbor- 
hood, on  account  of  its  age.'* 

Humphrey  stalked  on  ahead. 

"  I  hate  old  houses,"  I  said,  as  we  shook  hands.  "  I 
hate  everything  old  —  Good-bye." 

Sir  Hugh  looked  at  me  curiously,  and  the  first  gleam 
of  fugitive  interest  came  into  his  eyes. 

And  now  I  am  awaiting  the  arrival  of  Letitia  —  my 
brilliant  and  successful  sister  Letitia,  who  is  not  afraid 
of  Humphrey  —  or  of  anything  in  the  world. 


Letitia  came  in  her  motor.    She  always  has  the  latest 
tking,  and  although  she  is  ten  years  older  than  I  am, 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

no  one  would  ever  know  it.  I  wish  I  saw  her  oftener. 
She  brings  me  such  glimpses  of  the  world,  and  is  so 
deliciously  selfish  and  sensible  and  up  to  date. 

I  disliked  her  when  I  was  a  child  after  our  mother 
died  when  I  was  ten,  and  she  was  twenty,  and  I  was  so 
glad  when  she  made  that  brilliant  marriage,  and  we 
saw  no  more  of  her.  She  was  reluctantly  going  to  , 
bring  me  out  —  in  my  eighteenth  year ;  then  Hum- 
phrey took  this  wild  infatuation  for  me,  and  she  and 
my  father  married  me  off  to  him  at  once,  four  weeks 
before  I  was  seventeen.  Humphrey  is  rich  and  very 
careful  with  his  money,  and  I  have  hardly  anything  of 
my  own,  that  is  why  I  am  so  humble,  I  suppose. 

"  My  dearest  girl,"  Letitia  said.  "  You  do  waste 
yourself  —  more  than  ever ;  it  makes  me  cross  each  time 
I  see  you.  You  are  extraordinarily  attractive-looking, 
you  know,  Guinevere,  with  your  demure  air  and  rebel- 
lious gleam  in  the  eyes,  and,  although  you  are  nearly 
thirty-one,  you  look  a  mere  girl.  I  can't  think  how 
you  keep  so  slender.  If  you  were  only  better  dressed 
I  do  not  know  any  one  who  could  have  so  much  suc- 
cess.'* 

I  smiled  —  what  else  could  I  do  ? 

"  Yes,  I  know,"  she  went  on.  "  Humphrey  did  keep 
you  absolutely  shut  up  with  his  old  sisters  all  those 
first  years  of  your  marriage  after  you  found  India  did 
not  suit  you.  It  must  have  been  insufferable,  of  course, 
but  since  he  left  the  Army,  you  have  wandered  about 
abroad  at  all  events  —  you  might  have  picked  up  a 
more  alive  look." 

"  I  have  never  been  out  in  the  street  alone  even,"  I 
said,  "  and  I  have  never  been  allowed  to  talk  to  a  man 
or  have  any  intimate  friends  —  one  atrophies  after  a 
time." 

5 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

"  It  is  quite  ridiculous !  "  Letitia  exclaimed,  startled, 
as  though  she  suddenly  realized  something  for  the  first 
time. 

"  We  have  all  looked  upon  you  as  a  child,  I  expect," 
she  said  rather  hurriedly,  "  but  now  you.  have  come 
back  to  England  and  this  charming  place,  you  must 
wake  up  and  see  your  kind  —  though  how  people  can 
live  in  the  country  all  the  year  round,  I  don't  know! 
Neighbors  are  always  duties  and  bores,  and  there  are 
not  many  to  amuse  you  in  any  case.  The  Essendens 
are  too  far  off,  and  the  Perwoods  too  poor,  but  Hum- 
phrey's land  touches  Minton  Dremont.  Have  you  met 
him  yet  —  Hugh  Dremont?  " 

"  Yes,  he  came  to  call  just  now." 

"  What  do  you  think  of  him?  " 

"  He  is  rather  disagreeable-looking,  and  it  is  so 
odd  in  these  days  having  those  whiskers." 

"  You  perfect  goose !  "  and  Letitia  laughed.  "  If 
you  only  knew  the  world  a  little  better,  you  would 
know  that  is  just  his  chic.  He  wears  them  because  he 
wants  to.  He  does  not  care  a  farthing  what  any  one 
thinks  of  him.  He  is  the  most  utterly  unapproachable, 
cynical,  attractive  creature  imaginable.  I  have  not  a 
friend  who  has  not  tried  her  hand  at  him,  and  he  is 
perfectly  brutal  in  his  methods  with  them,  or  used  to 
be.  He  has  almost  retired  into  his  shell  in  these  last 
two  years.  It  is  perhaps  your  luck  that  you  have 
come  to  live  near  him  — " 

"  I  did  not  find  him  attractive,"  I  said,  and  then 
wondered  if  I  were  telling  the  truth. 

Letitia  leant  back  and  laughed,  but  she  did  not  con- 
tinue the  subject. 

"  I  can  only  spare  these  two  nights  with  you,  pet," 
she  announced,  "  just  long  enough  to  tell  you  what 

6 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

you  must  have  done  to  this  place  to  make  it  habitable, 
and  then  I  must  tear  on  to  town.  In  all  the  many 
times  I  have  stayed  at  Minton  Dremont,  I  have  never 
been  over  here  —  the  Morleys  were  such  impossible 
people.  But  you  must  do  it  up  properly." 

"  There  is  no  use  your  telling  me  anything,  Letitia," 
I  informed  her.  "  You  must  use  your  clever  way  with 
Humphrey  —  when  you  make  him  think  he  has  sug- 
gested what  you  want  and  that  you  are  against  it,  he 
gives  in  sometimes.  I  have  no  influence  with  him." 

Letitia  kissed  me  lightly  as  she  got  up  from  her  chair. 
"  Poor  little  Guinevere,"  she  said.  "  It  is  quite  time 
you  were  rescued."  Then  she  asked  in  a  different  tone: 

"  How  is  Algernon?  " 

"  You  will  see  him  to-morrow.  He  has  not  gone  back 
to  his  school,"  I  told  her.  "  He  goes  to  Eton  in  the 
autumn  half." 

"  Children  are  sometimes  a  frightful  bore.  I'm  so 
thankful  Langthorpe  is  so  devoted  to  his  nephew.  He 
has  never  regretted  our  having  none.  Algernon  is  too 
like  Humphrey  to  be  altogether  a  comfort." 

"  Yes,"  I  allowed. 

"  I  have  noticed,"  she  went  on,  "  that  when  a  woman 
is  passionately  in  love,  the  child  is  the  image  of  what 
she  thinks  the  man  is  —  or,  if  she  is  —  as  you  were, 
Guinevere  —  unknowing  and  uncaring  —  the  child  is 
like  the  man  with  his  worst  qualities,  if  the  man  is  a 
self-centred  creature  like  Humphrey.  Strong  natures 
produce  some  definite  thing.  Humphrey  reproduced 
himself,  you  being  practically  a  nonentity  in  the  af- 
fair." 

"  Probably." 

"  Guinevere,  you  are  not  going  to  remain  a  nonentity 
in  life  always,  are  you?  " 

7 


GUINEVERE'S  LOYER 

"  I  do  not  know,"  I  said,  and  then  something  made 
me  almost  cry  aloud.  "  Oh !  if  you  knew,  Letitia,  how; 
I  want  to  live  —  before  it  is  too  late !  " 

She  looked  at  me  strangely.  "  The  worst  of  you 
would  be  that  you  would  take  it  too  seriously,  I  fear! 
You  could  not  frivol,  Guinevere,  and  then  you  would 
make  a  betise  and  then  we  should  have  a  family  scan- 
dal." 

But  I  controlled  my  momentary  emotion  and  reas- 
sured her. 

"  I  have  still  my  sense  of  humor,"  I  said,  "  which 
might  help  matters.  Now,  we  ought  to  go  and  dress." 

At  dinner  Letitia  did  her  best  to  charm  Humphrey, 
who  was  at  his  gayest.  She  parried  his  attacks  so 
sharply  that  he  could  not  dominate  every  one  and  every 
subject,  as  usual.  She  suggested  that  the  house,  being 
so  old,  we  ought  to  have  it  done  up  by  some  one  who 
really  knew  of  the  suitable  things  for  it.  But  Hum- 
phrey said  he  intended  to  leave  it  as  it  is  —  an  early 
Victorian  coating  over  the  rooms  that  his  mother  lived 
in,  and  the  rest  as  cold  and  bare  and  ghostly  as  they 
had  probably  been  since  fifteen  hundred  and  nine,  when 
most  of  them  were  built. 

My  bedroom  looks  over  the  moat  which  comes  under 
the  windows  at  that  side;  it  was  a  state  room. 

Humphrey  has  taken  his  mother's  suite,  as  the  fires 
do  not  smoke  there.  They  are  far  away  from  me  on 
the  other  side,  a  wing  built  on  at  a  Georgian  date.  I 
am  thankful  to  say  it  is  now  seven  years  since  he  has 
ever  suggested  being  near  to  me.  The  house  is  not 
enormously  large,  only  dark  and  queer  and  imprac- 
ticable. There  is  no  comfort  —  just  tradition  and 
grim  darkness,  and  gloom. 

I  wish  I  might  have  new  hangings  for  the  great  oak 

8 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

bed  —  the  deep  red  velvet  looks  so  funereal.  I  would 
have  chosen  another  sleeping  apartment  myself,  but 
that  the  view  from  here  is  so  beautiful,  when  I  go  into 
the  little  round  closet  which  is  in  the  turret ;  and  I  can 
make  it  into  a  sort  of  retiring  room,  where  I  can  fly  to, 
away  from  the  noise  when  Humphrey  swears  at  the 
servants.  He  likes  state,  too,  and  thinks  his  wife  ought 
to  occupy  "  My  Lady's  Chamber."  I  sometimes  won- 
der if  I  am  afraid  of  ghosts.  There  are  such  queer 
sounds  in  the  panelling.  I  have  read  a  number  of  books 
lately  which  say  that  people  leave  their  impress  upon 
their  surroundings,  and  some  part  of  their  spirit  comes 
back  to  their  earthly  abodes  if  they  have  been  wicked 
and  wretched,  and  this  affects  the  dwellers  who  now 
occupy  them.  All  the  house  is  full  of  bloodshed  and 
crime  and  cruelty.  There  cannot  be  any  pleasant  in- 
fluence connected  with  it.  Violent  partings  of  lovers  — 
betrayed  friends  —  and  the  Bohuns  were  Roundheads, 
too,  and  in  this  very  room  tortured  a  Cavalier  who 
adored  the  wife  of  that  Bohun  whose  portrait  hangs 
over  the  chimney-piece  in  the  drawing-room.  It  seems 
they  have  periodically  liked  the  idea  of  being  chris- 
tened Humphrey,  though  where  the  connection  comes 
in  with  the  original  Humphrey  de  Bohun  I  have  never 
heard.  Algernon  was  called  Humphrey  Algernon,  the 
latter  name  after  my  father.  He  dislikes  his  new  home, 
Redwood  Moat,  except  that  there  are  such  numbers  of 
rats  and  he  has  two  good  terriers.  I  wish,  I  wish  I 
could  love  Algernon  as  much  as  I  want  to.  It  sounds 
so  ideal  —  a  beautiful  little  son  born  when  the  mother 
was  only  seventeen, —  he  ought  to  have  been  such  a 
plaything  for  her,  unhappy  and  frightened  and  cowed 
as  she  was  then.  But  she  was  too  young  to  understand 
any  maternal  instincts;  he  was  a  terror  to  her  in  case 

9 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

anything  happened  to  him.  Can  that  Guinevere  of 
those  old  days  be  really  me?  And  then  in  India  I  was 
always  too  ill,  and  when  he  and  I  came  back  Algernon 
was  already  four  years  old.  Oh!  those  years  at  Bath 
with  him  and  his  stern  Bohun  aunts.  There  was  no 
chance  of  becoming  friendly.  Araminta  spoilt  him  and 
Lady  Cmmford  punished  him,  and  would  have  punished 
me  if  she  had  dared. 

Humphrey's  instincts  seemed  to  show  themselves  al- 
most immediately  in  Algernon.  He  is  as  like  him  in 
character  as  he  is  in  face.  Suspicious,  vindictive,  and 
arrogant.  He  loves  me,  I  think,  as  much  as  he  can 
love  any  one,  but  I  never  know  when  he  will  turn  round 
and  hurt  me  in  the  middle  of  a  caress.  I  have  tried  my 
hardest  to  lead  him  by  love  and  understanding,  but  the 
long  absences  —  he  has  been  at  the  school  Humphrey 
selected  for  him  since  he  was  eight  —  undermine  my 
influence,  until  now  at  thirteen  we  have  very  little  of 
common  interest  except  the  dogs.  I  believe  he  is  not 
popular  at  his  school,  except  that  he  is  such  a  good 
cricketer. 

I  am  only  just  beginning  to  realize  that  of  course  all 
these  circumstances  in  my  life  which  make  it  so  dreary 
must  be  in  some  way  caused  by  my  own  fault.  But  it  is 
very  difficult,  no  matter  what  the  natural  character,  to 
be  able  to  rise  superior  to  events  if  a  woman  has  been 
married  so  young  to  such  a  man  as  Humphrey,  and 
kept  dependent  always,  with  rarely  five  pounds  to  call 
her  own. 

I  ought  to  try  and  be  ordinary  and  take  everything 
as  calmly  in  reality  as  I  appear  to  do  on  the  surface. 
But  something  in  me,  especially  in  the  springtime,  cries 
aloud  in  a  fierce  rebellion  at  the  waste  of  it  all  —  the 
waste  of  the  years  —  of  youth  —  the  anguish  of  lone- 

10 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

liness  —  the  barren  littleness  of  my  life.  This  obses- 
sion is  upon  me  to-night;  the  scents  of  the  fresh  wet 
earth  come  up  from  the  field  beyond  the  moat.  A  bird 
is  chirping  softly,  not  yet  asleep.  I  am  quivering  with 
I  know  not  what.  Night,  come  and  comfort  me  —  en- 
fold me  in  your  dark  wings,  and  let  me  sleep. 


CHAPTER  H 

HETITIA  breakfasted  in  her  room.  I  have  never 
been    allowed   to    do    that.      Punctuality   at 
meals  is  one  of  Humphrey's  fads,  and  he  is 
generally  very  cross  behind  the  paper  at  the 
other  end  of  the  table.    He  does  not  mean  to  be  unkind 
to  me.     He  often  tries  to  give  me  pleasures,  but  they 
must  be  as  he  likes,  not  as  I  like.     I  am  not  consulted 
about  anything.     If  I  had  not  been  so  young  and  so 
frightened  in  the  beginning,  it  might  have  been  all  dif- 
ferent; or  if  I  had  cared  for  him  in  the  least,  perhaps 
I  could  have  acquired  some  kind  of  influence.     But  the 
hopelessness  of  the  outlook  has  made  me  let  every  thing^ 
drift. 

Letitia  leads  a  life  of  perfect  freedom.  Her  hus- 
band, Lord  Langthorpe,  is  an  easy-going  creature,  and 
they  do  not  interfere  with  one  another.  Letitia  says 
after  the  first  year  or  two  if  you  order  a  man's  house 
well,  and  invariably  play  the  part  of  brilliant  figure- 
head, that  is  all  which  should  be  required  of  you,  and 
that  both  men  and  women  should  be  free  to  express 
their  individuality  as  they  please.  She  has  had  a  num- 
ber of  well-conducted  flirtations,  all  arranged  with  per- 
fect common  sense,  and  no  scandal.  She  says  they  are 
necessary  to  the  development  of  the  brain  of  a  clever 
woman.  It  is  quite  impossible  to  understand  life  if 
you  live  forever  outside  the  door  of  its  mainspring. 

I  do  not  know  anything  about  love.  I  have  imag- 
ined it  often  —  but  of  the  reality  I  am  as  ignorant  as 
I  was  at  seventeen. 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

"  Guinevere,"  Letitia  said  suddenly,  in  the  middle  of 
her  discourse,  "  you  sit  there  looking  at  me  with  your 
great  gray  eyes.  What  are  you  thinking  about?  Tell 
me,  you  odd  thing." 

"  I  am  wondering  what  you  would  have  done  if  you 
had  been  married,  at  not  quite  seventeen,  to  Hum- 
phrey." 

This  startled  her. 

"  We  should  have  had  awful  rows,  of  course,  and 
then  I  suppose  he  would  have  broken  my  spirit,  or  I 
should  have  worn  away  his;  but  you  are  just  where 
you  were,  and  the  days  are  passing." 

At  lunch  she  asked  casually  if  we  would  not  send 
over  and  suggest  Sir  Hugh  Dremont's  dining  with  us 
this  evening.  She  wanted  to  see  him  awfully;  she  had 
not  done  so  for  three  months,  and  it  was  such  a  chance, 
as  he  so  seldom  went  into  society  now. 

I  did  not  say  anything,  so  Humphrey  agreed,  much 
to  my  surprise,  and  told  me  to  write  a  note,  which 
I  did. 

When  the  answer,  accepting,  came  back,  Letitia  was 
up  helping  me  to  arrange  my  tiny  turret  sitting-room. 
There  is  a  small  winding  stairway  from  it  up  to  the 
battlemented  tower-top,  and  down  to  the  same  room  on 
the  floor  below,  and  then  again  to  the  ground  floor  and 
/  lower  to  the  dungeon,  while  on  the  drawing-room  level 
i  the  little  place  had  been  turned  into  a  library,  com- 
pletely lined  with  books  which  no  one  has  read  for 
years ;  but  on  my  floor  it  had  never  been  touched,  since 
the  Roundheads'  time,  and  has  still  the  stiff  oak  furni- 
ture in  it,  a  table  and  two  chairs.  There  are  three 
narrow  casements  looking  north,  east  and  west,  and  a 
grim  open  fireplace. 

"  You  could  make  this  delightful,"  Letitia  said. 
13 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

**  Either  have  it  panelled  or  hang  tapestry  over  these 
rough  stone  walls,  and  think  how  you  can  escape  down 
the  staircase  and  into  the  garden  without  passing  the 
household!  A  most  useful  place,  I  call  it,"  and  there 
i  was  a  laugh  in  her  eye.  "  We  must  bring  Sir  Hugh  up 
here  this  evening,  and  show  it  to  him,  and  get  his  opin- 
ion. He  knows  about  every  style  and  date." 

"  Humphrey  probably  won't  allow  any  change  to  be 
made,  but  do  try,"  I  said,  "  though  even  if  one  got 
into  the  garden  it  is  walled  all  round,  with  only  one 
little  door  into  the  stable  yard  for  the  gardeners  to 
come  in  by,  and  there  is  still  the  moat  to  pass.  The 
only  open  way  to  the  outer  world  is  through  the  great 
iron  gates  into  the  courtyard  and  over  the  drawbridge, 
or  through  the  servants'  quarters,  and  across  the 
bridge. 

"  It  is  certainly  a  fortress,"  Letitia  said. 

Sir  Hugh  Dremont  was  five  minutes  late  for  dinner, 
and  Humphrey  stood  before  the  fire  with  his  watch  in 
his  hand.  The  fire  was  lit  because  it  is  a  cold  and  rainy 
night,  and  as  I  write  now  after  midnight  up  in  my 
gloomy  room,  I  can  hear  the  wind  howling  down  the 
turret  chimneys,  and  the  rain  beating  against  the  win- 
dow panes. 

If  Letitia  had  not  also  been  late  I  am  sure  Hum- 
phrey would  have  expressed  his  impatience  aloud.  He 
fortunately  stands  in  some  awe  of  Letitia. 

Sir  Hugh  talked  so  easily  it  made  things  quite  pleas- 
ant, and  when  my  sister  did  come  down,  radiant  as  a 
June  rose,  we  were  almost  gay.  I  did  not  speak  much. 
I  never  do  when  any  one  else  will,  and  our  guest  did  not 
seem  to  be  taking  the  slightest  interest  in  me. 

He  looks  distinctly  attractive  in  evening  dress.  He 
is  like  some  old  portrait,  and  not  a  modern  person. 

14 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

After  dinner  Letitia  sat  down  upon  the  only  com- 
fortable sofa  in  the  drawing-room,  and  insensibly  drew 
him  to  her,  and  Humphrey,  as  is  his  wont  when  no 
great  effort  is  required  of  him,  fell  asleep  in  his  huge 
arm-chair,  so  I  went  to  the  piano  and  began  to  play. 
I  let  my  fingers  stray  from  one  thing  to  another,  with- 
out stopping.  I  do  this  almost  every  night,  while  my 
husband  dozes;  it  is  my  hour  of  peace  and  freedom 
and  comfort;  it  seems  as  though  my  soul  escapes  from 
its  prison  house,  and  mounts  toward  high  heaven,  upon 
the  wings  of  sound.  The  two  hushed  their  voices,  but 
did  not  stop  speaking  at  first.  I  was  glad  of  that; 
they  had  forgotten  me,  and  I  them. 

There  was  some  kind  of  exquisite  sorrow  upon 
me  to-night.  I  was  not  unhappy,  only  strangely, 
tenderly  moved,  and  perhaps  it  spoke  through  the 
playing. 

Gradually  the  noise  of  their  voices  became  less  and 
less  in  the  room,  and  finally  there  was  silence,  except 
for  the  wailing  notes  which  came  from  my  touch.  I 
happened  to  be  playing  the  Rain  prelude,  and  it  sobbed 
out  what  I  was  feeling  —  in  a  passionate  protest 
against  I  knew  not  what.  When  I  had  finished  I  let 
my  hands  fall  into  my  lap.  I  was  far  away,  and  Sir 
Hugh's  voice  startled  me,  and  out  of  the  shadows  I  saw 
that  he  had  come  forward,  and  was  leaning  upon  the 
end  of  the  piano. 

"  You  have  given  us  great  pleasure,"  he  said,  and 
Letitia  rose  from  the  sofa,  too. 

"  Guinevere  is  a  witch,"  she  laughed  softly,  "  and 
now  she  has  let  you  see  a  real  piece  of  her  magic, 
Hugh." 

I  froze  at  once,  as  is  my  stupid  way,  and  said  I  was 
glad  I  had  pleased  him,  in  a  commonplace  voice,  and 

15 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

then  Letitia  suggested  we  should  go  and  see  the  turret 
room. 

"  Come,"  she  whispered  playfully.  "  We  three  must 
creep  away  from  the  sleeping  ogre  of  the  castle,  who 
would  never  permit  us  to  show  a  stranger  the  road  to 
his  treasure  chamber,"  and  she  put  out  her  white  hand 
and  took  Sir  Hugh's,  and  drew  him  stealthily  into  the 
little  library,  which  was  lit  with  only  one  lamp.  Leti- 
tia is  so  charming  a  person,  her  every  action  is  full  of 
grace,  and  no  one  would  ever  think  she  was  nearly 
forty-one  years  old. 

There  was  no  light  whatever  in  the  narrow  winding 
staircase,  which  we  gained  by  the  book-disguised  door, 
and  as  I  led  the  way,  Sir  Hugh  put  out  his  strong, 
smooth  left  hand  and  took  mine.  There  was  something 
in  the  firm  grasp  which  suddenly  affected  me  strangely, 
a  peculiar  thrill  ran  through  me,  a  sensation  that  I 
kave  never  felt  before. 

"  You  must  guide  us,"  he  said  while  he  pulled  Letitia 
up  the  stairs,  and  so  we  arrived  at  the  entrance  of  the 
little  shrine. 

Only  the  dim  light  from  my  bedroom  came  through 
from  beyond.  There  is  no  electric  light  installed  as 
yet,  and  I  went  forward  to  bring  in  the  lamp,  but  they 
followed  me. 

"  Did  you  ever  see  such  a  ghostly  place  for  a  young 
woman  to  sleep  in  all  alone,"  Letitia  exclaimed,  struck 
with  the  picture  of  it  at  night,  which  she  had  not  yet 
seen.  "  I  should  hate  this  black  oak  and  those  heavy 
red  velvet  curtains.  I  am  thankful  to  say  I  am  in  a 
UK) re  modern  part  of  the  house," 

"  I  have  never  been  up  here  before,"  Sir  Hugh  said. 
"  I  have  always  heard  of  this  room,  though.  (  The 
Lady  Margaret's  Chamber '  it  is  called,  is  it  not?  You 

16 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

know  we  people  with  more  modern  abodes  take  a  deep 
interest  in  every  atom  of  Redwood  Moat.  It  is  a  kind 
of  respectable  relic  to  have  in  the  county  —  but  this 
room  does  not  look  a  suitable  surrounding  for  so  fragile 
and  dainty  a  lady  as  you,  Mrs.  Bohun !  " 

"  It  is  far  away  from  every  one,  that  is  why  I  like 
it,"  I  answered,  and  I  moved  back  into  the  turret,  car- 
rying a  lamp. 

Here  Letitia  began  asking  Sir  Hugh's  advice. 
"  Ought  we  to  have  tapestry  or  panelling,  or  leave  it 
quite  plain?  " 

He  mused  for  a  minute,  as  though  he  were  balancing 
things. 

"  I  think  you  must  leave  it  as  it  is,"  he  said  at  last, 
"  unless  the  tapestry  could  be  very  good,  and  it  is  so 
difficult  to  find." 

"  I  am  glad  that  is  your  conclusion,"  I  answered 
him,  "  because  I  am  as  likely  to  get  panelling  as  tapes- 
try —  and  the  moon  as  either." 

"  Guinevere,  if  you  only  knew  how  to  manage  Hum- 
phrey !  "  my  sister  interrupted.  "  I  would  get  any- 
thing I  wanted  out  of  him." 

"  I  am  not  clever,"  I  said,  "  and  the  price  might 
make  the  thing  distasteful." 

Letitia  went  back  to  my  bedroom  for  an  instant  and 
surveyed  the  room  from  the  door  critically.  I  had  put 
the  lamp  on  the  table,  and  stood  back  in  the  shadow, 
and  Sir  Hugh  said  to  me  in  a  low  voice,  "  You  told  me 
yesterday  you  hated  all  old  things,  and  yet  you  choose 
this,  the  most  ancient  part  of  the  house,  for  your  own 
srcite.  Are  you  not  a  contradiction?  " 

"  It  may  be  a  choice  of  evils,"  I  returned.  "  I  did 
not  say  I  cared  for  these  gloomy  rooms." 

The  interest  deepened  in  his  eyes,  and  he  was  just 
17 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

going  to  say  something,  and  then  he  checked  himself. 
I  do  not  know  why. 

Letitia  at  this  moment  had  the  intelligence  to  re- 
member that  Humphrey  might  wake,  and  might  pos- 
sibly be  annoyed  at  our  absence,  so  she  started  for  the 
door,  and  then  called  airily: 

"  Come,  we  must  go  down  again  and  brave  the 
depths." 

Sir  Hugh  followed  her,  and  I  propped  open  the  door, 
leaving  the  lamp.  The  faint  rays  were  not,  however,  suf- 
ficient to  light  beyond  the  first  turn  of  the  turret  steps, 
and  we  were  in  pitch  darkness,  when  we  all  reached  the 
next  floor.  I  had  kept  beyond  the  touch  of  Sir  Hugh's 
hand,  though  he  turned  and  waited  for  me.  I  was  dis- 
turbed, which  was  very  foolish  of  me. 

Letitia,  who  was  first,  fumbled  at  the  catch  of  the 
little  library  door,  but  failed  to  open  it,  and  in  the  few 
seconds  in  the  black  darkness  I  could  feel  that  Sir  Hugh 
came  nearer  to  me.  There  was  that  indescribable  sense 
of  propinquity,  it  seemed  as  if  I  felt  his  being  absorb 
me  —  this  stranger  with  whom  I  had  only  exchanged  a 
few  ordinary  sentences.  A  trembling  seized  me,  and 
now  as  I  sit  here  in  the  gloomy  panelled  room,  with  the 
light  of  the  lamp  coming  from  under  the  shade  in  a 
clear-cut  path,  I  analyze  everything  as  is  my  wont. 
One  gets  into  foolish  habits  living  as  I  do  away 
from  the  world,  and  with  every  real  feeling  turned 
inward,  and  hidden  from  one's  daily  companions.  What 
was  that  unknown  emotion  which  came  to  me  in  the 
dark? 

When  Letitia  did  finally  open  the  door  and  the  light 
from  the  little  library  blazed  onto  our  faces,  Sir  Hugh's 
looked  the  same,  but  my  sister  exclaimed : 

"  How  pale  you  are,  Guinevere !  Did  you  see  a 

18 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

ghost  as  we  came  down  the  stairs  ?  "    And  I  answered : 
"Yes  — I  did." 

Humphrey  was  still  asleep,  and  I  sat  down  to  the 
piano  again  and  crashed  a  loud  chord  that  he  might 
wake  naturally,  and  so  would  not  be  unusually  ill-tem- 
pered at  being  caught  napping.  Sir  Hugh  raised  an 
eyebrow,  and  there  was  a  whimsical  expression  in  his 
face,  as  though  he  had  taken  in  the  meaning  of  the 
scene.  It  hurt  me.  I  never  let  any  one  see  the  barren- 
ness of  my  life,  or  pity  me.  I  am  considered  a  stupid 
and  disagreeable  woman  generally,  but  not  an  unhappy 
one. 

"  Mrs.  Bohun !  Oh !  A  person  quite  impossible  to 
get  on  with,"  as  one  of  the  ladies  in  India  was  heard 
to  say. 

Humphrey  woke  and  glanced  round  furtively.  I 
watched  him,  but  seeing  Letitia  talking  to  our  guest, 
he  got  up,  gave  himself  the  air  of  a  person  who  has 
never  slept  at  all,  and  joined  them. 

"  As  I  was  saying  — "  he  remarked,  and  went  on 
with  the  subject  they  had  been  discussing  before  he 
.dozed.  Sir  Hugh  turned  and  met  my  eye,  and  there 
was  such  an  exquisite  twinkle  in  his  I  had  to  look  down 
at  once  —  I  could  not  enjoy  with  any  one  a  ridiculous 
aspect  of  my  husband. 

Then  Sir  Hugh  said  it  was  awfully  late,  and  he  must 
be  going,  and  Humphrey  protested  it  could  not  be 
more  than  half-past  nine  o'clock,  as  we  had  only  just 
come  up  from  dinner ;  then  he  saw  by  the  clock  that  it 
was  quarter  to  eleven,  and  he  frowned.  So  Sir  Hugh 
made  his  adieus  with  a  warm  handshake  for  Letitia. 
So  glad  he  had  been  to  see  her  again.  They  are  evi- 
dently most  intimate  friends. 

I  came  last  of  all. 

19 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

"  Good  night,  Mrs.  Bohun,"  he  said,  and  he  looked 
so  strangely  into  my  eyes.  "  Your  husband  has  prom- 
ised that  you  will  both  come  over  and  dine  with  me  next 
week.  I  shall  be  having  a  few  people,  but  I  hope  you 
will  let  me  come  and  see  you  before  then?  " 

I  said  I  should  be  glad,  and  he  went.  And  then 
Letitia  came  up  into  my  room  with  me,  and  sat  down 
by  the  wood  fire. 

"  Guinevere,"  she  said.  "  Humphrey  is  failing  —  he 
is  growing  into  an  old  man,  my  dear.  What  age  is  he 
now,  I  can't  remember?  " 

"  He  is  sixty-one  —  he  will  be  sixty-two  in  the  au- 
t«nn." 

"  He  was  such  a  splendid  dasher  twenty  years  ago, 
when  I  first  knew  him  —  but  of  course  it  is  ridiculous 
now  when  one  thinks  of  you  —  you  look  about  twenty, 
and  a  girl  at  that." 

"  Well  ?    I  don't  much  know  what  being  married  is  — 
or  life  —  or  love  —  or  anything  which  makes  a  woman. 
I  expect  I  look  like  an  old  maid !  "  and  I  tried  to  smile. 

"  You  look  as  if  you  would  have  a  thrillingly  inter- 
esting story,  my  little  sister  —  I  shall  return  and  see 
how  you  are  getting  on  again  soon  —  only  don't  fall 
in  love  with  Sir  Hugh  Dremont  —  Mrs.  Dalison  is 
coming  to  his  party  for  the  races  next  week." 

"Who  is  Mrs.  Dalison?"  I  asked,  unpleasantly  in- 
terested. I  do  not  know  why. 

"A  —  friend  —  of  his,"  Letitia  said,  and  then  she 
kissed  me  lightly  and  went  off  to  bed. 


CHAPTER  III 

races  at  Redwood  are  very  late  this  year. 
They  have  them  usually  in  Easter  week,  but 
a  great  supporter  of  the  hunt  died  just  then, 
and  they  were  postponed  until  May  3.  They 
will  be  the  same,  I  expect,  as  what  I  am  accustomed  to 
in  regimental  races.  I  suppose  they  are  amusing  if  you 
know  all  the  horses.  Humphrey  used  actually  to  ride 
in  steeplechases  when  we  were  first  married,  but  he  has 
not  done  so  for  more  than  ten  years.  They  are  a  great 
excitement  to  Algernon,  who  is  mad  about  horses.  He 
rides  wonderfully  well,  my  tall  son,  and  his  great  pleas- 
ure is  to  give  me  hints  upon  the  subject. 

"  You'll  never  really  make  a  horsewoman,  mother," 
he  often  tells  me.  "  You  look  extremely  decent  on  a 
gee  because  you  aren't  fat,  but  you  have  no  go  about 
you.  I  believe  you'd  much  rather  jog  along  on  your 
quiet  old  Jenny  Wren  than  come  with  father  and  me, 
even  if  he'd  let  you  hunt." 

And  I  am  afraid  this  is  true.  Long  ago  I  thought  I 
should  adore  hunting,  but  Humphrey  would  not  hear 
of  it;  women  were  in  the  way  in  the  field,  he  said.  So 
I  was  early  discouraged ;  and  then  in  India  and  at  Bath 
I  had  not  the  chance.  But  I  do  love  to  jog  along  on 
my  dear  Jenny  Wren;  she  is  a  bright  bay  thorough- 
bred, with  a  perfect  mouth  and  perfect  manners. 

Humphrey  does  not  mind  what  he  spends  upon 
horses,  and  Algernon  has  always  had  the  best  of  ponies. 
Anything  to  do  with  hunting  and  riding  they  are  at  one 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

about,  but  on  most  other  subjects  there  are  jars.  Al- 
gernon is  afraid  of  his  father,  and  no  wonder. 

Humphrey  intends  him  to  be  a  soldier,  and  he  rather 
likes  the  idea  of  going  into  the  old  regiment.  Hum- 
phrey was  such  a  very  great  personage  in  it,  the  hero 
of  a  hundred  fights  —  in  love  and  war. 

Algernon  is  really  a  splendid  specimen  for  thirteen, 
and  there  is  not  a  touch  in  him  of  me  except  that  his 
eyes  are  gray;  Humphrey's  are  brown.  Algernon  is 
going  to  be  allowed  to  go  to  the  races,  and  is  longing 
for  the  time  when  he  may  ride  in  them  himself. 

I  have  a  great  big  short-furred,  blue  Russian  cat  — 
his  name  is  Petrov.  He  has  a  passionate  affection  for 
me,  and  all  the  dogs  are  his  friends,  but  Algernon 
teases  him  and  Petrov  hates  him  —  I  suppose  it  is  nat- 
ural for  boys  to  tease  cats.  I  have  only  had  him  a  few 
months,  and  he  hisses  when  he  sees  Algernon.  I  have 
noticed  this  trait  in  my  child  about  many  things ;  he  is 
not  very  considerate  to  animals,  and,  just  like  Hum- 
phrey, he  lashes  out  furiously  when  they  annoy  him. 

I  have  tried  to  influence  him  to  be  different,  and  he 
is  always  very  sorry  and  promises  he  won't  do  the  same 
again,  but  he  always  forgets  —  the  headstrong  nature 
in  him  seems  to  assert  itself  beyond  everything.  I  won- 
der what  they  will  do  with  him  at  Eton.  My  brother 
Bob  was  there.  Bob  was  such  a  darling.  He  died  of 
scarlet  fever  when  he  was  in  the  Eleven,  the  week  before 
the  match ;  I  was  fourteen  then,  and  it  was  the  greatest 
sorrow  of  my  life.  I  believe  if  he  had  lived  he  would 
never  have  let  Letitia  and  my  father  marry  me  to 
Humphrey.  I  do  not  know  why  I  am  writing  down  all 
these  stupid  things  to-day,  just  as  if  I  were  recounting 
a  story.  I  seem  to  be  so  restless  ever  since  Letitia  was 
here. 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

It  is  settled  that  we  dine  at  Minton  Dremont  on  the 
race  night.  They  are  going  to  dance  after  dinner.  Sir 
Hugh  has  a  large  party ;  he  will  take  them  to  the  hunt 
ball  on  the  Friday.  Letitia  said,  although  nothing 
would  drag  him  to  a  ball  in  London,  he  always  plays 
his  part  as  a  country  gentleman;  when  there  are  any 
functions  on  he  must  attend.  He  lives  nearly  all  the 
year  now  at  Minton  Dremont,  though  he  has  a  very 
valuable  mining  and  town  property  up  in  the  north. 

Minton  Dremont  is  a  splendid  place,  but  not  very 
old.  It  was  built  in  George  the  Third's  time ;  the  really 
ancient  house  was  pulled  down  then. 

The  neighborhood  think  it  is  a  dreadful  pity  Sir 
Hugh  is  not  married,  because  his  cousin,  who  comes 
after  him,  is  a  wretched,  sickly  creature,  with  three  con- 
sumptive sons.  I  wonder  why  he  does  not  marry.  Le- 
titia says  he  could  have  had  any  woman  in  England 
that  he  wished  —  he  is  so  rich,  and  has  such  a  prestige. 
Who  is  this  Mrs.  Dalison,  I  wonder,  and  why  did  Leti- 
tia speak  about  her  in  that  tone  of  voice?  I  hate  to 
think  ugly,  sordid  things,  such  as  Humphrey  always 
insinuates,  about  people,  but  I  suppose  it  is  natural  for 
much-run-after  bachelors  to  have  some  safe  consolation. 

I  cannot  understand  what  is  the  matter  with  me 
lately,  I  do  not  seem  to  be  able  to  settle  to  anything. 
I  am  sitting  now  in  my  little  turret  room,  looking  out 
of  the  west  window ;  my  writing-pad  is  on  my  knee,  and 
the  sun  is  getting  low.  I  have  to  drive  at  three  o'clock 
every  day  because  the  victoria  horses  have  to  be  exer- 
cised —  Humphrey  will  not  hear  of  a  motor  —  and  I 
came  in  at  tea-time  —  that  duty  done  —  and  have  been 
up  here  ever  since.  I  think  I  will  go  for  a  ride.  My 
maid  will  be  disgusted  at  having  to  get  me  changed 
again,  but  Algernon  will  be  enchanted;  he  shall 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

come  with  me,   and  we  will  have  a  gallop   over  the 

turf. 

*  *  *  *  * 

Just  as  we  were  turning  back  from  the  lane  into 
Corlston  Chase  we  overtook  a  man  in  front  of  us  —  it 
proved  to  be  Sir  Hugh  Dremont. 

I  was  out  on  my  eternal  drive  the  day  he  came  to  call 
after  he  dined,  and  I  have  not  seen  him  since  that  night. 
He  was  riding  such  an  exquisite  black  horse,  and  he 
greeted  us  with  friendly  pleasure. 

"  This  is  my  son  Algernon,"  I  said ;  and  Algernon, 
who  is  so  coached  by  his  father  to  understand  what 
being  "  well  turned  out "  means  in  man  or  horse,  gave 
Sir  Hugh  an  approving  glance. 

"  Is  it  not  a  divine  evening,"  the  owner  of  the  chase 
where  we  were  riding  said,  and  we  soon  were  chatting 
easily  —  or  at  least  he  and  Algernon  were.  The  boy  is 
not  at  all  shy,  and  likes  to  converse  with  every  one. 
They  spoke  of  horses,  of  course,  and  the  races,  and 
Algernon  was  so  proud  to  show  the  paces  of  his  pony. 
He  used  all  kinds  of  grand  technical  terms  about  it,  and 
looked  so  flushed  and  handsome  —  I  would  love  to  kiss 
and  pet  him  often,  but  he  hates  all  caresses.  "  A  horrid 
bore,"  I  am  sorry  to  say  he  calls  them  when  sometimes 
the  temptation  overcomes  me  to  kiss  his  curls ! 

At  last  he  asked  if  he  might  canter  on  and  rejoin  us 
at  the  park  gate ;  he  was  tired  of  going  so  slowly,  and 
Sir  Hugh  said  he  did  not  mean  to  get  out  of  a  trot  so 
that  his  beautiful  black  horse  should  come  in  cool. 
Whether  animals  are  hot  or  cold  never  matters  to  either 
Humphrey  or  Algernon. 

When  we  were  alone  I  felt  the  same  peculiar  agita- 
tion I  had  felt  on  the  stairs,  but  not  so  strongly,  of 
course,  in  the  light  and  open  air.  I  tried  to  talk  nat- 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

urally  about  trivial  things,  but  he  hardly  seemed  to  be 
listening ;  and  at  last  he  said : 

"  What  do  you  really  do  with  yourself  through  the 
days  ?  You  are  not  interested  in  any  of  the  avocations 
we  have  been  exchanging  commonplaces  about." 

"  I  read  and  think,"  I  answered  shyly.  It  seemed 
as  if  he  had  torn  off  my  mask. 

"  Are  they  sad  thoughts  ?  "  he  asked,  and  then  we 
had  this  conversation : 

"  I  try  that  they  should  not  be  —  the  world  is  so 
fair  in  the  springtime." 

"  But  they  are  —  I  knew  it  immediately.  You  hare 
a  strange,  pale,  quiet  face.  Forgive  me  if  I  seem  pre- 
suming to  talk  to  you  like  this  when  we  do  not  know 
each  other  at  all,  but  you  interested  me  so  the  otker 
evening." 

"Did  I  — why?" 

"  There  is  something  mysterious  about  you.  Your 
manner  is  so  stiff  and  cold,  and  you  are  so  still,  and 
then  —  you  played  like  that  —  God !  how  it  made  me 
feel" 

"  One  must  have  some  outlet." 

"  Yes,"  he  said,  and  he  bent  low  on  the  glossy  black 
neck.  "  The  music  took  me  back  to  youth  and  belief 
and  other  pleasant  things  at  first,  and  then  it  stirred 
something  which  I  thought  could  never  wake  again.  I 
cannot  imagine  anything  which  could  give  me  greater 
pleasure  than  to  have  you  to  play  to  me  —  alone  in  the 
room  —  play  for  me  only." 

"  I  will  some  day  —  perhaps,"  I  said  quite  softly. 
The  picture  he  had  conjured  up  seemed  most  pleasant 
—  he  and  I,  with  just  the  music  to  talk  for  us.  And 
then  I  smiled  bitterly.  These  things  were  not  for  me ; 
Humphrey  would  never  allow  Sir  Hugh  to  come  and 

25 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

see  me,  and  sit  there  while  I  played.  It  is  expressly 
forbidden  me  ever  to  entertain  a  man  alone.  While  we 
traveled  about  Humphrey  was  always  with  me  in  the 
afternoons,  and  then  came  these  last  six  months  again 
at  Bath,  and  his  terrible  jealousy  was  too  well  known 
in  the  station  in  India  for  any  one  to  have  dared  to 
arouse  it. 

"  Why  do  you  smile  like  that?  "  Sir  Hugh  asked. 
"  I  said  once  before  you  were  a  contradiction  —  and  I 
still  think  it." 

I  looked  away  to  the  budding  trees;  the  sun  had 
almost  set,  a  pink  glow  was  over  everything.  A  fresh, 
delicious  scent  of  spring  things  arose  from  the  earth, 
the  birds  chirped  blithely  —  and  a  sudden  stab  of  pain 
came  to  my  heart,  and,  if  I  had  allowed  them,  my  eyes 
would  have  filled  with  tears ;  but  I  blinked  these  back  as 
they  gathered,  then  Sir  Hugh  put  his  hand  out  on  the 
pommel  of  my  saddle,  and,  bending,  looked  into  my  face. 

"  Shall  we  be  friends?  "  he  said,  his  attractive  voice 
with  a  deep  note  in  it.  "  After  a  while  I  should  grow 
to  know  —  the  contradictions  —  and  what  they  ex- 
pressed or  concealed.  I  like  to  study  that  which  is 
difficult  and  not  for  the  reading  of  all  the  world." 

"  I  cannot  have  any  friends,"  I  faltered.  "  Do  not 
speak  to  me  like  that  —  please,  Sir  Hugh." 

We  were  silent  then  for  the  next  hundred  yards  or 
so  —  and  what  a  thing  wrought  with  meaning  a  silence 
can  be!  It  cannot  happen  with  two  casual  strangers, 
or  even  two  acquaintances ;  it  suggests  intimacy,  it  sug- 
gests —  what  there  can  never  be  between  Sir  Hugh 
Dremont  and  me.  At  the  end  of  it  he  let  his  black 
horse  come  close  to  Jenny  Wren  again;  and  he  smiled 
so  kindly  —  all  the  stern  cynicism  which  stamps  his 
face  melted  away  as  he  spoke. 

26 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

"  Well,  I  will  not  ask  anything,  then.  We  will  just 
drift  —  and  enjoy  the  springtime,  and  the  chances  we 
shall  ever  get  like  this.  Tell  me  about  the  boy  —  he 
is  not  like  you." 

So  we  talked  of  Algernon  and  my  hopes  for  him,  and 
my  fears;  and  I  forgot  my  grim  guard  over  myself, 
and,  I  am  afraid,  let  him  see  some  of  the  real  me. 

I  am  sure  he  is  good  and  true  underneath,  and  oh! 
I  wish  —  I  wish  we  might  be  friends ;  but  it  would  not 
do.  Humphrey  would  never  allow  it,  and  there  would 
only  be  rows. 

"  Thank  you,"  Sir  Hugh  said,  as  we  came  to  our 
park  gate.  "  Remember,  we  have  made  no  bargains ; 
you  are  going  to  leave  things  to  chance  —  and  me." 

Then  Jenny  Wren  craned  her  neck  and  sniffed  some 
plant  in  the  hedge,  and  I  gathered  my  reins  and  did  not 
reply. 

Algernon  came  up  at  full  gallop  a  second  or  two 
later,  with  a  laugh  and  a  "  Tally  ho,"  and  Sir  Hugh 
held  the  gate  for  us  to  pass ;  and  we  cantered  home 
across  the  turf  —  but  once  I  looked  back  and  saw  him 
standing  motionless,  the  black  horse  and  his  rider  mak- 
ing a  sharp  silhouette  against  the  evening  sky. 

Humphrey  was  not  very  pleased  when  we  got  to  the 
house.  He  was  waiting  in  the  hall.  Such  freaks,  sud- 
denly to  go  out  so  late  like  this,  should  be  discouraged ! 
People  should  give  orders  in  the  morning  for  what  they 
intended  to  do  in  the  day.  He  strutted  and  fumed,  and 
Algernon  made  a  face  at  him  while  his  back  was  turned ; 
and  I  felt  so  strange  and  excited  that  I  laughed  — 
which  I  should  not  have  done,  of  course  —  and  then  my 
husband's  rage  burst  forth,  and  my  son  ran  from  the 
room. 

When  the  abuse  of  me  was  over,  I  crept  up  to  my 
3  27 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

turret  chamber,  and  for  some  minutes  did  not  ring  for 
my  maid.  Humphrey  and  his  temper  seemed  a  long 
way  off.  The  scolding  had  not  hurt  and  cowed  me  as 
it  used  to  do  —  why  ?  I  went  in  to  the  little  shrine  and 
looked  from  the  east  window,  and  there  far  in  the  dis- 
tance I  saw  some  tall  chimneys  through  the  giant  trees 
of  the  park  of  Minton  Dremont,  and  above  everything 
a  flag  on  the  flagstaff  waved. 

The  rooks  were  caw-cawing  as  they  flew  homeward, 
and  the  eastern  sky  was  a  pale  saffron  fading  to  violet 
on  the  horizon,  while  the  crimson  glow  showed  high 
above  from  the  glory  of  the  west.  How  can  human  be- 
ings stir  themselves  with  angry  passions  when  God 
made  the  world  so  fair? 

Something  of  comfort  seemed  to  have  come  to  my 
heart,  and  I  could  go  back  and  face  the  ordeal  of  a 
tete-a-tete  dinner  with  my  irate  lord. 

He  was  ashamed  of  his  outburst,  as  usual,  and  it 
made  him  sullen  until  we  had  finished  the  fish.  He  is 
rather  proud  in  his  way,  and  seldom  insults  me  before 
the  servants ;  but  every  one  in  the  house  trembles  at 
him,  and  in  the  stables,  too.  Our  butler  had  been  with 
Humphrey  as  valet  for  many  years  before  we  came 
here,  and  he  was  promoted,  and  he  knows  all  the  signs 
of  the  times.  He  takes  a  deep  interest  in  us  as  a  fam- 
ily, and,  I  think,  is  particularly  attached  to  me.  He 
generally  offers  his  master  a  glass  of  liqueur  brandy 
upon  one  excuse  or  another  before  the  legitimate  time 
for  such  things  has  come  if  he  observes  any  storm 
signals.  Hartington  is  his  name,  and  I  am  sure  that  his 
tact  and  sympathy  have  often  saved  me  from  greater 
unpleasantness  than  I  have  actually  suffered.  To-night 
the  brandy  came  with  an  iced  entree  that  the  new  chef 
was  trying,  and  it  had  a  soothing  effect. 

28 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

"  It  looks  as  if  it  would  keep  fine  for  the  races  on 
Wednesday,"  my  husband  said,  after  the  long,  ominous 
silence.  "  Next  year  we  must  have  a  party  for  them 
when  I've  got  the  place  shipshape.  It  is  very  friendly 
of  Hugh  Dremont  to  have  asked  us  to  join  him  for 
lunch." 

*  Yes,"  I  answered  meekly.  "  But  I  suppose  in 
any  case  you  will  send  over  the  coach  to  watch 
the  races  from.  We  could  hardly  take  up  so  much 
room  on  Sir  Hugh's;  he  will  have  his  own  party  to 
fill  it." 

"  My  phaeton  will  be  quite  enough  for  you  and  me 
and  the  boy,"  and  Humphrey  frowned.  "  I  am  not 
likely  to  bore  people  with  my  family." 

"  No,"  I  said. 

Then  he  talked  on  about  the  neighborhood  and  the 
few  people  that  were  left  whom  he  had  known  in  his 
young  days.  He  made  conversation,  and  told  me  some 
of  his  best  stories  in  his  inimitable  raconteur's  style. 
He  must  have  been  so  amusing  when  he  was  younger, 
and  did  not  repeat  the  same  ones  over  and  over  again. 
I  laughed  in  the  places  I  ought  to ;  and  when  the  serv- 
ants had  finally  left  the  room  and  I  rose  to  light  the 
match  for  his  cigar  —  a  nightly  duty  —  he  put  out  his 
hand  and  touched  my  hand. 

"  You  look  rather  pale,  Guinevere,  these  last  few 
days,"  he  remarked.  "  What  is  it,  little  girl?  " 

"  Nothing,"  I  answered  quietly,  and  a  lump  grew  in 
my  throat,  "  only  the  house  seems  very  dark,  after 
Italy  last  year  —  but  I  shall  get  accustomed  to  it  pres- 
ently, no  doubt." 

Humphrey  pushed  my  hand  away. 

"  What  d d  nonsense  women  talk,"  he  growled. 

"  The  house  has  been  good  enough  for  me  and  mine 

29 


these  last  four  hundred  years,  and  I'll  trouble  you  to 
find  it  so  —  young  Mistress  Bohun." 

"  I  will  try,"  I  answered,  and  got  away  up  to  the 
drawing-room  as  soon  as  I  could;  I  was  playing  the 
piano  when  Humphrey  joined  me  and  went  to  sleep  in 
his  chair. 

And  the  music  throbbed  aloud  all  the  things  which 
were  in  my  heart  until  there  grew  a  mist  of  tears  in 
my  eyes;  and  out  of  the  shadows  beyond  the  lamp  I 
seemed  to  see  the  face  of  Sir  Hugh  Dremont. 


CHAPTER  IV 

"LL  the  way  as  we  drove  to  the  races  I  was 
filled  with  one  stupid  desire  —  to  see  this  Mrs. 
Dalison  Letitia  had  spoken  of.  She  must,  of 
course,  be  very  clever  and  attractive,  or  Sir 
Hugh  would  not  have  her  for  a  —  friend.  When  I 
thought  of  that,  the  peace  and  calm  and  pleasure  of 
the  memory  of  our  evening  ride  seemed  to  become  less, 
and  some  jar  entered  into  the  vision  of  it.  Since  he 
had  his  own  —  friend,  why  should  he  wish  to  be  friends 
Avith  me?  And  then  I  reflected  at  the  underlying  mean- 
ing there  had  been  in  my  sister's  words,  and  that  the 
signification  of  "  friend  "  was  very  different  when  ap- 
plied to  me.  Humphrey  is  suspicious  about  every  one's 
relations  with  each  other.  I  have  heard  imputations 
insinuated  about  almost  each  person  we  ever  knew.  It 
frightened  and  filled  me  with  indignation  in  the  first 
years,  but  now  I  have  grown  accustomed  to  it,  and  in- 
different to  everything.  There  is  no  use  taking  people's 
part  or  defending  them.  I  have  always  tried  to  remain 
uninfluenced  and  allow  my  own  judgment  alone  to  di- 
rect me.  I  believe  reading  so  much  of  the  thoughts  of 
the  noble  writers  of  the  ages  and  living  so  far  away  from 
human  beings'  companionship  has  helped  me  to  take  a 
broad  view.  It  always  seems  to  me  that  one  should  live 
and  let  live,  and  leave  everything  between  the  man  or 
woman  and  God,  without  outsiders  interfering. 

Perhaps  it  is  only  gossip  that  Mrs.  Dalison  is  Sir 
Hugh's  —  friend. 

The  race  day  was  gloriously  fine  and  warm,  and 
31 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

when  we  got  on  to  the  course  and  backed  the  phaeton 
into  its  allotted  place  it  proved  to  be  next  the  Minton 
Dremont  coach.  Sir  Hugh  had  another  vehicle  beside 
the  coach,  a  large  brake.  And  all  his  party  had  ar- 
rived and  were  climbing  up  and  down.  There  seemed 
to  be  a  number  of  them,  and  at  least  six  or  seven 
women  —  four  of  them  fairly  young  and  good-looking, 
'and  all  beautifully  dressed.  I  could  not  decide  which 
could  be  Mrs.  Dalison.  Sir  Hugh  himself  was  away 
for  the  moment,  in  the  paddock,  I  suppose,  looking  at 
his  horses. 

Humphrey  shines  at  this  sort  of  entertainments;  he 
is  gallant  and  genial,  and  sufficiently  entreprenant  in 
his  remarks  for  ladies  always  to  find  him  delightful. 
He  soon  mounted  the  coach  and  spoke  to  those  he  knew, 
leaving  Algernon  and  me  alone. 

"  Can't  we  go  to  the  paddock,  mother?  "  my  son 
said  impatiently;  "  the  first  race  will  soon  begin."  But 
I  did  not  dare  —  until  one  of  the  neighbors  came  to 
talk  and  asked  us  to  go  with  him. 

Humphrey  turned  a  surprised  glance  from  his  supe- 
rior perch  as  he  saw  us  walk  off,  but  I  did  not  care. 

Sir  Hugh  was  standing  with  two  ladies.  What  a 
huge  party  he  must  have,  was  the  thought  which  struck 
me;  and  then,  that  one  of  these  women  must  certainly 
be  Mrs.  Dalison  —  but  which?  The  taller  was  a  doll- 
faced  person,  a  good  deal  painted,  and  not  vivacious- 
looking,  but  perfectly  dressed  in  the  kind  of  way  that 
requires  skill  not  to  look  vulgar  —  she  just  did  not  look 
that.  I  dismissed  her  at  once.  Sir  Hugh  would  never 
waste  himself  upon  any  one  so  evidently  brainless.  The 
other  woman  was  a  sportswoman;  one  could  see  it  by 
the  keen  interest  she  was  taking  in  the  hunters  as  they 
jrere  being  walked  round.  She  was  neat  and  very 

32 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

attractive  —  this,  of  course,  was  she.  But  I  was  all 
wrong,  for  Sir  Hugh  came  up  with  them  both  the  mo- 
ment he  caught  sight  of  us,  and  introduced  them  in  a 
friendly  way,  and  the  painted  one  was  Mrs.  Dalison, 
after  all ;  the  other,  Lady  Hilda  Flint. 

Mrs.  Dalison  looked  bored  and  hardly  spoke,  and  we 
only  exchanged  the  fewest  words  that  politeness  pre- 
scribes. They  had  neither  of  them  the  air  of  wishing 
to  make  the  acquaintance  of  their  host's  country 
friends. 

"  Let  us  go  back  to  the  coach  now,  Hugh,"  Mrs. 
Dalison  said;  but  Sir  Hugh  was  talking  to  Algernon, 
and  she  had  to  repeat  it  twice  before  he  would  attend. 

His  manner  was  so  perfectly  casual,  just  as  on  the 
first  day  he  came  to  call;  it  chilled  me,  and  I  became 
stiff  at  once,  while  I  turned  to  old  Major  Milton,  who 
had  brought  us  to  the  paddock,  and  pretended  to  be 
interested  in  the  horses  and  their  riders  beginning  to 
mount. 

Then  we  strolled  back  to  the  phaeton  and  climbed 
up  to  watch  the  first  race. 

Mrs.  Dalison  put  her  hand  excitedly  on  Sir  Hugh's 
arm,  I  suppose  to  steady  herself  —  but  he  took  no  ex- 
tra notice  of  her.  One  could  see  the  race  interested  him 
a  great  deal  more  for  the  moment. 

When  it  was  over,  and  he  had  rushed  to  the  paddock 
again  to  see  his  horse,  which  one  of  the  young  men 
staying  with  him  had  been  riding,  and  which  came  in 
second,  Humphrey  brought  up  some  of  the  men  of  the 
party  and  introduced  them  to  me;  and  then  Sir  Hugh 
returned  and  took  us  to  luncheon,  laid  out  on  a  trestled 
table  behind  his  coach. 

I  felt  extremely  depressed,  I  cannot  say  why  — 
though  I  tried  to  talk  to  whoever  spoke  to  me. 

33 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

Our  host  was  gay  and  agreeable,  and  chaffed  with 
his  party,  and  they  all  seemed  so  friendly  and  pleasant. 
I  suppose,  if  you  have  never  had  any  one  watching  you 
jealously,  you  can  be  natural  and  merry  like  that  when 
you  go  out.  The  same  thing  went  on  the  whole  after- 
noon —  walks  to  the  paddock  and  back,  climbing  up  to 
look  at  the  races,  and  then  tea.  Humphrey  introduced 
me  to  a  number  of  his  old  county  friends,  as  it  was  our 
first  appearance,  and  I  tried  to  behave  as  he  would 
wish,  but  an  utter  discouragement  was  upon  me.  I  had 
a  longing  to  be  young  and  gay  upon  the  coach-top. 
There  was  one  girl  who  had  a  merry,  friendly  face  —  I 
liked  her;  and  she  called  to  me  once  and  asked  me  to 
come  and  sit  beside  her  while  the  rest  were  away  —  and 
Sir  Hugh,  returning  just  then,  made  me  go. 

As  he  helped  me  onto  the  coach  he  said,  with  one  of 
his  eyebrows  up  in  that  whimsical,  questioning  way  he 
has: 

"  How  all  this  sort  of  thing  bores  you,  does  it  not, 
Mrs.  Bohun?  " 

"  No,"  I  answered,  "  I  am  much  amused." 

He  laughed  and  went  off  when  I  was  safe  on  the  top 
beside  Miss  St.  Clair. 

She  had  the  most  assured  manner,  and  was  so  breezy 
and  agreeable.  Any  one  would  have  thought  that  she 
was  the  married  woman  and  I  was  the  girl.  She  chat- 
tered on,  giving  me  unconscious  glimpses  of  the  world 
in  general,  and  the  party  at  Minton  Dremont  in  par- 
ticular. 

They  were  fairly  harmonious,  it  appeared ;  only  Mrs. 
Dalison,  whom  she  confided  to  me  she  did  not  like,  was 
inclined  to  give  herself  airs  of  proprietorship  about  Sir 
Hugh. 

"  It  is  perfectly  ridiculous  of  her,"  Miss  St. 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

said.  "  Any  one  can  see  Sir  Hugh  is  bored  to  death 
with  her  —  he  has  been  for  the  last  six  months,  only 
she  will  hang  on ;  it  has  been  talked  about  for  a  year." 

"  That  is  a  very  long  time  for  an  affair  to  last,  is  it 
not  ?  "  I  asked.  "  A  year !  I  live  so  out  of  the  world, 
I  do  not  know  about  these  interesting  things." 

"  Yes  —  it  is,"  agreed  Miss  St.  Clair.  "  Personally, 
I  don't  believe  there  is  anything  in  it,  or  ever  was  —  it 
is  just  Sir  Hugh  is  such  a  fearful  centre  of  interest  for 
every  one  that  he  cannot  speak  to  a  woman  without 
being  put  down  at  once  as  her  lover.  Ada  Marjori- 
banks,  who  is  so  funny  and  apt,  says  that  is  why  he 
always  chooses  something  striking  and  flashy  like  Mrs. 
Dalison  to  amuse  himself  with,  whenever  he  gets  a 
recrudescence  of  worldly  desires  —  then  it  is  too  ob- 
vious to  be  serious,  or  to  grow  into  a  tie." 

Oh,  how  common  and  degrading  it  all  seemed  to  me ! 
—  which,  of  course,  was  very  foolish  and  old-fashioned 
of  me.  But,  somehow,  the  day  was  tarnished  and  spoilt, 
and  I  was  glad  when  we  prepared  to  go  home. 

"  Mind  you  are  ready  in  time  to  start  for  dinner," 
Humphrey  said  in  the  hall  as  I  went  up  to  my  room. 
"  I  mean  to  leave  at  ten  minutes  past  eight." 

And  now  I  have  got  to  think  about  dressing  and,  af- 
terward, the  dance.  I  feel  no  desire  to  go  —  a  sense  of 
weariness  with  everything  is  overcoming  me.  I  won- 
der if  this  room  is  really  haunted  by  that  unhappy 
Lady  Margaret,  who  loved  the  Cavalier.  Certainly 
something  gloomy  and  sad  appears  to  be  always  round 
me  since  we  have  been  at  Redwood  Moat.  However,  Al- 
gernon has  been  perfectly  happy  to-day,  so  that  is 
something.  His  handsome,  excited  face  all  the  time  has 
been  the  admiration  of  every  one.  Humphrey  is  ex- 
tremely proud  of  him  and  likes  to  show  him  to  the 

35 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

neighborhood.  I  can  see  that.  I  do  not  think  the  way 
he  encourages  his  taste  for  races  and  horses  can  be 
very  good  for  the  child.  If  he  takes  an  inordinate 
pleasure  in  these  things  later  on,  Humphrey  will  be 
very  angry,  probably,  and  will  have  no  one  to  blame 
but  himself.  I  said  this  to  him  only  this  morning,  be- 
fore we  started,  but  he  told  me  I  was  a  fool,  as  usual. 
How  could  a  young  woman  like  me  know  anything 
about  such  things !  I  was  to  leave  the  bringing-up  of 
his  son  in  his  own  hands.  So  what  can  I  do? 


It  is  half-past  two  o'clock,  and  we  are  back  from  our 
evening  at  Minton  Dremont.  It  seemed  more  than  ever 
like  a  prison  fortress  to  return  here  after  the  light  and 
brightness  of  that  stately  house.  I  had  not  been  in  it 
before.  It  is  full  of  exquisite  things :  pictures  and  mar- 
velous furniture  and  tapestries  and  collections  of  china 
and  miniatures,  and  all  sorts  of  objets  d'art.  They 
have  always  been  such  prosperous  people,  the  Dre- 
monts,  with  that  rich  property  in  the  north,  and  Sir 
Hugh's  mother  was  an  heiress  upon  her  own  account. 

I  always  think  a  bachelor's  house  is  better  done  than 
any  other,  and  certainly  this  one  is  perfection. 

Sir  Hugh  looks  extraordinarily  distinguished  and 
old-world  in  his  evening  hunt  coat,  just  as  if  he  had 
walked  out  of  his  great-grandfather's  picture-frame  — 
a  late  portrait  by  Sir  Thomas  Lawrence ;  and  as  a  host 
he  has  immense  charm.  No  wonder  these  pretty  women 
of  society  purr  round  him  and  cajole  him  all  the  time. 
It  was  quite  amusing  before  dinner  to  watch  them.  We 
were  ridiculously  early,  of  course.  They  were  like  a 
lot  of  houris  in  a  harem,  each  vying  with  the  other  for 
the  post  of  favorite  —  and  deep  in  Sir  Hugh's  dark- 

36 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

blue  cynical  eyes  there  was  always  a  twinkle.  He  chaffs 
with  them  in  a  way  that  to  me  is  on  the  verge  of  inso- 
lence—  but  they  seem  enchanted,  so  I  suppose  it  is 
only  my  silly  idea. 

I  sat  two  off  him  at  dinner,  which  we  had  at  round 
tables.  Mrs.  Dalison  was  in  the  same  place  on  the 
other  side,  and  an  important  duchess  and  a  countess 
were  at  his  right  and  left  hands.  The  Duchess  has  a 
daughter  here,  and  her  niece,  Miss  St.  Clair  —  but  the 
Countess  is  looking  at  him  for  herself;  she  is  a  widow 
and  very  pretty,  though  quite  forty  years  old.  The 
man  who  took  me  in  was  most  agreeable  —  when  the 
Duchess  would  let  me  have  him!  She  turned  to  him 
automatically  whenever  Sir  Hugh  addressed  his  other 
neighbor,  whether  mine  happened  to  be  talking  to  me 
or  no.  Manners,  in  the  world,  are  not  at  all  what  one 
would  expect,  evidently.  But  I  dare  say  she  thought 
me  a  local  bore  and  an  interloper  at  their  party. 

Sir  Hugh  smiled  at  me  once  or  twice  —  but  we  ex- 
changed no  word. 

Mrs.  Dalison  was  most  daringly  dressed,  and  has 
wonderful  shoulders ;  but  without  her  hat  one  can  see 
her  hair  is  dyed,  there  is  a  dark  shadow  at  the  roots. 
Why  should  I  write  this?  Is  it  spiteful  of  me,  because 
how  can  it  matter  to  me  what  she  is  or  has? 

She  whispered  to  the  man  who  had  taken  her  in 
when  I  saw  he  was  asking  her  who  I  was,  and  I  felt  she 
was  saying,  "  Poor  Hugh  has  to  entertain  his  country 
neighbors." 

After  dinner  in  the  great  drawing-room  —  all  a 
queer,  greenish  panelling  and  gilt  with  wonderful  Louis 
XV  tapestry  —  we  grouped  about  on  the  stiff  sofas. 
And  every  one  smoked  and  chattered  to  their  friends; 
and  Miss  St.  Clair  sat  down  again  by  me,  until  the 

37 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

Duchess  called  her  to  fetch  something  from  her  room  — 
and  I  was  left  alone. 

"  What  a  .beautiful  thing  your  son  is,  Mrs.  Bohun," 
one  woman  said  to  me.  "  Only,  it  looks  absurd  for  you 
to  have  a  boy  of  fourteen  or  fifteen !  " 

"  Algernon  is  thirteen,"  I  said.  "  He  is  going  to 
Eton  in  the  autumn  —  but  he  is  tall,  isn't  he  ?  " 

"  Age  is  so  deceptive,"  Mrs.  Dalison  joined  in,  with 
a  slight  lisp,  between  her  cigarette  puffs.  "  My  Phyllis 
is  a  mere  child,  too,  though  she  is  as  tall  as  I  am." 

"  Phyllis  is  certainly  nineteen,"  the  first  woman 
whispered  in  my  ear,  with  a  malicious  little  laugh ;  and 
then  she  said,  "  Claire,  darling,  that  frock  was  too! 
ducky  you  had  to-day.  Do  you  always  go  to  that 
wonderfully  cheap  little  woman?  " 

And  Mrs.  Dalison  answered  that  she  did,  blandly,* 
with  a  gleam  in  her  big  hazel  eyes.  Then  they  talked  a. 
little  of  politics,  and  much  of  some  new  book  upon  a 
sex  problem  —  and  they  were  all  sweetly  familiar  and 
agreeable  to  each  other,  and  gave  me  the  impression 
they  would  willingly  cut  each  other's  throats;  and  at 
last  the  men  came  in,  and  the  few  extra  guests  for  the' 
dance  began  to  arrive,  and  we  went  into  the  saloon! 
which  had  been  cleared.  Sir  Hugh  did  not  pay  more, 
attention  to  Mrs.  Dalison  than  to  any  of  the  rest ;  and] 
after  the  second  or  third  dance  he  came  up  to  me. 

"  Come  and  have  a  turn,  Mrs.  Bohun,  will  you  ?  "  hel 
asked;  and  we  began  to  waltz. 

He  does  not  dance  particularly  well,  and  we  stopped 
by  a  door  —  and  he  led  the  way  into  a  small  sitting-, 
room  down  the  corridor.  I  had  not  seen  it  before. 

"  We  can  sit  here  and  talk,"  he  said,  and  indicated  a 
comfortable  blue-silk  sofa  for  me  to  sink  into ;  then  he 
placed  himself  by  my  side. 

38 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

"  You  look  more  perplexing  than  ever  to-day,  you 
know,"  and  he  leaned  forward  and  gazed  at  me.  "  At 
the  races  there  was  a  glint  of  contempt  in  those  queer 
gray  eyes.  What  was  passing  in  the  soul  of  the  lady?  " 

*'  A  number  of  things,"  I  said. 

"  TeU  me  of  them." 

"Why  should  I?" 

He  shrugged  his  shoulders  slightly. 

"  There  is  no  reason  —  I  made  a  request  — " 

"  You  were  much  too  busy  to  be  aware  of  what  I  was 
or  was  not  doing.  How  could  you  see  anything  in  my 
eyes  ?  " 

He  laughed  softly,  and  it  irritated  me.  I  felt  I  was 
not  going  to  be  added  to  the  list  of  his  pastimes,  like 
the  Mrs.  Dalisons  of  his  world.  I  felt  the  pink  coming 
into  my  cheeks. 

"  You  take  life  too  seriously,"  he  protested  gently. 
"  The  social  world  is  a  sordid,  mean,  hateful  place,  if 
you  view  it  open-eyed.  You  should  glance  at  it,  and 
laugh  and  make  a  jest  of  it.  There  are  so  many  parts 
of  God's  old  earth  that  make  up  for  the  blight  man  has 
laid  upon  some  of  it." 

"  Yes/'  I  said,  and  felt  a  fool  for  my  irritation. 
"  But  it  is  difficult  for  me  to  laugh  —  I  always  want  to, 
but  I  have  no  one  to  laugh  with." 

"  Mariana  in  the  Moated  Grange,"  he  whispered  — 
and  then,  "Why  were  you  christened  Guinevere?  " 

"  It  is  silly,  isn't  it  ?  "  I  answered,  "  and  very  unkind 
to  give  babies  such  appellations  without  their  leave. 
Nothing  more  unlike  Arthur's  Queen  could  be  than  I 
am.  She  was  fair  and  stately  and  capricious  —  don't 
you  think  so?  I  do  not  like  her  character  much,  do 
you?" 

"  All  women  are  capricious  —  nine-tenths,  at  least  — 
39 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

and  you  never  know  where  you  are  with  them.  Any 
of  them  would  give  a  man  away  to  prove  to  other 
women  that  he  was  her  lover." 

"  And  the  same  woman  would  shield  him  if  he  com- 
mitted a  fraud  —  and  almost  be  hanged  in  his  stead 
were  he  accused  of  murder,"  I  retorted. 

"  Yes  —  they  are  a  mass  of  contradictions ;  the  only 
way  to  take  them  is  at  their  own  valuation  —  never  at 
your  own.  In  that  way  you  can  surround  yourself 
with  a  bouquet  of  different  flowers  whose  perfume  is  as 
sweet  as  it  is  transient." 

"  Poor  flowers !  "  I  said,  and  I  glanced  through  the 
door  at  the  stream  of  them,  who  were  coming  to  sit 
down  in  the  corridor  after  the  waltz. 

His  eyes  followed  mine,  and  he  laughed  —  put  his 
head  back,  and  laughed;  and  suddenly  I  seemed  to  un- 
derstand exactly  how  much  they  all  mattered  to  him, 
and  for  no  explainable  reason  a  new  lightness  grew  in 
my  heart. 

"  When  we  know  one  another  better,"  he  said,  with 
a  note  that  might  have  been  tenderness  in  his  voice, 
only  that  is  ridiculous,  "  I  will  tell  you  just  what  I 
thought  of  you  the  first  day  I  came  to  call  —  the  un- 
conscious picture  you  made  there  on  the  step-ladder  — 
and  then  afterwards  —  and  I  will  make  a  confession, 
too,  which  will  shock  and  disgust  you." 

"  Must  you  wait  until  you  know  me  better?  "  I  asked. 
"  I  am  curious,"  and  I  tried  to  speak  lightly. 

He  looked  at  me  for  a  second  as  though  he  were  com- 
ing to  a  decision,  and  then  he  said,  quite  low,  "  No,  I 
will  tell  you  now.  Do  you  remember  the  night  when 
we  stood  in  the  dark  —  outside  the  door  of  the  little  li- 
brary? " 

"  Yes" ;  and  I  felt  a  catch  in  my  breath. 

40 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

"  Well,  I  was  overcome  with  an  insane  desire  to  fold 
you  in  my  arms  and  kiss  you.  You  had  looked  so 
fragile  and  white  and  young,  all  alone  up  in  that  grim 
room.  There,  I  have  told  you.  Are  you  angry  with 
me?  " 

I  could  not  speak  for  a  moment.  I  was  filled  with 
the  remembrance  of  my  own  feelings  upon  that  occa- 
sion —  the  unaccountable  trembling  and  emotion.  Is 
there  something  in  influences  coming  from  one  to  an- 
other, after  all? 

"  Are  you  angry  ?  "  Sir  Hugh  asked  again,  now  with 
anxiety  in  his  voice. 

*'  No,"  I  said,  and  I  tried  to  look  at  him  calmly. 
"Humphrey  —  my  husband  —  says  a  man  always  feels 
that  sort  of  thing  when  he  is  near  any  woman." 

"  That  is  not  true."  He  was  almost  indignant. 
"  Such  a  man  must  be  a  pure  sensualist.  But  I  had 
rather  you  were  angry  with  me  than  that  you  classed 
me  with  just  the  common  herd." 

At  this  moment  Mrs.  Dalison  came  into  the  room 
with  one  of  the  good-looking,  smart  young  men  of  the 
party,  and  I  unconsciously  let  my  eyes  follow  her;  and 
I  suppose  some  of  the  thoughts  which  were  coursing 
through  my  mind  showed  in  my  face,  for  Sir  Hugh, 
who  was  watching  me  keenly,  said  hurriedly,  a  note  of 
impatience  and  chagrin  in  nis  voice,  "  Oh,  it  all  sickens 
me  —  the  gossips  of  the  world  — " 

"  I  thought  you  said  it  was  all  right  if  one  took  it  as 
a  jest,"  I  reminded  him. 

A  cloud  seemed  to  gather  upon  his  whole  face. 

"  Yes,  so  it  is  —  in  the  abstract.  But  do  you  re- 
member I  told  you  that  the  music  had  touched  some 
feeling  in  me  that  I  thought  was  numb?  Well — " 

At  that  moment  Mrs.  Dalison  looked  at  us  mockingly 
41 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

from  over  her  fan,  and  Sir  Hugh  said  hurriedly, 
"  Come,  let  us  go  back  to  the  saloon  and  dance  " ;  and 
he  rose,  and  I  rose,  and  we  went  indifferently  out  of 
the  door ;  but  his  eyes  were  fierce  as  he  made  some  ordi- 
nary remark,  then  gave  me  'up  to  another  partner. 

It  was  after  supper,  at  which  he  had  sat  with  the 
Duchess,  that  he  came  up  again.  I  was  standing  with 
Humphrey,  and  we  were  just  going  to  say  good 
night. 

"  No,  you  must  not  go  yet,  General,"  he  announced 
jovially.  "  Mrs.  Bohun  has  snubbed  me  all  the  even- 
ing, and  now  I  want  to  persuade  her  to  be  gracious  and 
give  me  one  more  dance." 

"  Of  course  you  must,  Guinevere,"  Humphrey  or- 
dered, and  we  started  off. 

"  I  suppose  we  shall  now  have  to  career  round  like 
two  fools,  and  can't  go  and  sit  down  as  I  want  to,  and 
talk,"  Sir  Hugh  whispered.  "  Aren't  you  going  to  ask 
me  again  soon  to  dine  at  Redwood  Moat?  " 

"  I  do  not  know,"  I  said.  "  Perhaps  if  you  amuse 
Humphrey,"  and  then  I  was  angry  with  myself  for 
saying  such  a  thing  —  it  slipped  out  because  my  desire 
is  to  see  him  —  and  I  own  it  now  that  I  have  time  to 
think. 

"  I'll  ride  over  some  afternoon  and  try  and  ingrati- 
ate myself,  when  this  party  has  gone.  You  were  com- 
ing to  the  hunt  ball  on  Friday  night?  " 

"  Yes,  I  suppose  so ;  we  have  to  do  everything  that  is 
correct  now  that  we  are  *  county  people ' !  "  and  I 
smiled. 

"And  you  hate  it  all?" 

"  I  did  not  say  that." 

"  No  —  but  I  would  like  to  see  you  gay,  with  those 
eyes  suffused  with  love  and  laughter.  Now,  when  I  look 

42 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

at  them,  they  are  always  full  of  unrest  and  pain  — 
hidden  and  deep  — " 

I  stopped  dancing. 

"  You  must  not  say  such  things  to  me  ever  again, 
Sir  Hugh,"  I  faltered,  and  my  voice  trembled.  "  You 
must  leave  me  locked  in  my  Moated  Grange.  No  one; 
must  find  the  key.  Now,  good  night."  And,  before  he 
could  answer  me,  I  rejoined  my  husband  and  prepared 
to  depart. 

Sir  Hugh  came  with  us  to  the  door,  and  I  left  Hum- 
phrey to  say  all  the  civil  things ;  and  as  I  got  into  the 
carriage  I  heard: 

"  Well,  you'll  come  over  to  lunch  next  week,"  and 
"  With  the  greatest  pleasure,  General !  "  Then  the 
horses  started. 

All  the  way  back  Humphrey  praised  Sir  Hugh  and 
said  amiable  words  about  him  —  but  I  did  not  speak. 

And  my  husband  kissed  my  forehead  when  we  said 
good  night  in  the  hall,  having  greatly  enjoyed  himself. 

But  I  cannot  sleep  —  I  shall  sit  here  at  the  east  win- 
dow and  watch  for  the  dawn. 


CHAPTER  V 

X  ENJOYED  the  hunt  ball. 
When  I  was  first  married,  Humphrey  did 
not  really  like  my  dancing,  and  used  to  stand 
and  wait  for  me  and  take  me  off  to  himself 
directly  each  dance  was  finished.  The  idea  of  my  sit- 
ting out,  he  explained  to  me,  was  disgusting  to  him, 
because  people  only  sat  out  when  they  wanted  to  make 
some  kind  of  love  to  each  other!  He  is  suspicious  of 
every  single  action  of  man  and  woman  —  and  would 
advocate  the  system  of  the  Turks  if  he  could.  It  must 
,be  so  awful  to  have  views  like  that,  poisoning  all  simple 
things.  He  has  never  liked  my  dancing,  but  has  had 
to  put  up  with  it,  for  fear  of  appearing  ridiculous.  He 
must  have  been  the  most  crazily  passionate  and  jealous 
lover  when  he  was  young  —  for  me,  I  only  know  the 
jealous  part  —  the  passion  had  burned  itself  out,  for- 
tunately, before  my  day.  But  he  has  always  boasted 
of  his  tremendous  conquests  —  he  loves  to  talk  of  him- 
self, and  is  frequently  very  coarse.  All  those  aspects 
of  love  ought  to  be  so  sacred,  it  seems  to  me  —  and  not 
to  be  spoken  about  lightly,  or  they  become  revolting 
and  common  at  once. 

But  to  go  back  to  what  I  was  saying.  I  enjoyed  the 
hunt  ball. 

I  began  it  well,  by  trying  to  take  Sir  Hugh's  advice, 
and  look  at  the  world  with  only  a  glancing  eye,  and 
several  of  his  party  were  very  nice  to  me,  also  I  love 
the  exercise  of  dancing  for  itself.  I  had  quite  a  pretty 

44 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

dress,  too,  and  did  not  have  to  put  on  the  family  jew- 
els, which  Humphrey  will  not  let  me  have  reset,  and 
which  I  hate  wearing.  I  had  just  my  string  of  fine 
pearls. 

Sir  Hugh  came  up  at  once,  and  because  there  were 
programmes  he  deliberately  asked  me  for  two  dances. 

"  I  am  obliged  to  do  my  duty  and  take  in  the  Duchess 
to  supper  and  generally  keep  my  eye  on  my  party,"  he 
said  —  "  but  if  you  can  contain  your  hunger,  I  also 
will  not  eat  anything  much,  and  then  when  the  first  rush 
has  finished,  will  you  come  in  quietly  with  me,  and  we 
can  talk  and  eat  in  peace?  "  He  got  me  to  write  his 
name  for  the  two  dances  after  the  extras. 

Perhaps  that  is  why  I  enjoyed  the  first  part  of  the 
ball  —  there  was  something  pleasant  to  look  forward 
to.  I  was  so  cunning  when  supper-time  came!  I  knew 
I  should  be  pounced  upon  to  go  in  with  the  first  set, 
because  of  being  the  wife  of  so  influential  a  member  of 
the  hunt  as  Humphrey,  so  I  pretended  my  dress  was 
torn,  and  went  to  the  dressing-room  until  they  had  all 
safely  started !  It  felt  such  fun  doing  this  —  and  I 
have  had  no  fun  for  so  many  years.  I  was  so  very  deli- 
cate after  Algernon  was  born,  for  such  a  long  time,  I 
got  out  of  the  way  of  thinking  I  was  human  and  ought 
to  be  gay  and  happy.  It  is  not  flattery  when  people 
take  me  for  a  young  girl ;  I  have  that  kind  of  type  with 
no  particular  features,  and  that  sort  of  shaped  bones 
that  do  not  make  any  shadows,  and  my  throat  is  very 
long  and  slender  and  round,  and  my  head  very  small  — 
besides  my  being  very  slight  of  figure  —  so  all  these 
things  are  what  give  the  girlish  look.  I  am  always  ad- 
dressed as  "  Miss  "  in  shops. 

I  believe  Sir  Hugh  saw  the  mischief  in  my  eyes  when 
he  at  last  found  me  for  our  feast,  for  he  pressed  my 

45 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

hand  on  his  arm  against  his  side,  and  he  said  so  gaily: 
"  What  has  the  little  lady  been  doing?  She  has  got 
a  roguish  glance  in  her  gray  mysteries." 

Then  I  told  him  rather  shyly,  and  we  had  a  delight- 
ful laugh,  like  two  truant  children. 

He  had  arranged  just  where  we  were  to  sit,  at  a 
corner  little  table  that  only  held  two,  and  it  seemed 
that  the  waiters  must  have  been  warned  to  bring  us  the 
hottest  quails  and  attend  immediately  to  our  wants. 

Sir  Hugh  at  first  did  not  say  any  of  the  things  which 
disturb  me ;  he  talked  to  me  of  books  and  pleasant  sub- 
jects, and  we  found  we  loved  so  many  of  the  same,  and 
I  forgot  to  be  stiff,  and  let  myself  go,  and  oh!  I  was 
so  happy.  Then  we  spoke  of  music,  and  he  asked  me 
how  I  had  learned  to  play  like  that,  and  I  told  him 
about  Fraulein  Strauss,  who  was  my  governess  until  I 
married,  and  was  a  great  musician. 

"  But  since  then,"  I  said,  "  I  have  never  had  any 
lessons.  My  husband  thought  it  was  absurd  for  a  mar- 
ried woman,  so  I  have  just  gone  on  in  my  own  way. 
The  music  talks  to  me  and  has  often  comforted  me 
when  I  have  been  sad." 

"  I  hate  you  to  be  sad,"  Sir  Hugh  answered.    "  You 
look  like  some  pure,  exquisite  flower,  I  cannot  exactly 
say  which  to-night.    You  should  always  wear  soft  white 
,  satin  and  pearls." 

r      "  I  am  glad  you  like  my  frock,"  I  returned.    "  I  do 
not  often  have  such  a  nice  one  as  this." 

"  You  are  so  sweet,"  he  whispered.  "  You  make  me 
feel  I  want  to  take  care  of  you.  You  ought  to  be 
where  no  rough  winds  blow." 

"  How  kind  you  are,  Sir  Hugh !  "  And  I  could  not 
meet  his  glance. 

"  All  the  other  people  appear  —  meretricious,"  he 

46 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

said,  looking  around.    "  When  my  eye  gets  back  to  you, 
it  is  at  rest." 

"  I  love  peace  and  beauty,"  I  faltered.  "  How  happy 
one  could  be  if  it  were  left  to  one's  self  to  choose  one's 
environment !  "  And  I  suppose  I  sighed  unconsciously, 
for  he  bent  nearer  to  me. 

"  You  were  only  a  baby  when  you  married,  weren't 
you?  So  I  dare  say  it  did  not  give  you  much  chance. 
I  think  I  understand." 

"  Yes,  I  was  not  quite  seventeen,"  I  said.  "  I  am 
thirty  now.  I  shall  be  thirty-one  in  the  summer.  It  is 
quite  old,  isn't  it?  " 

He  laughed.  "  You  will  never  be  old.  You  have  a 
young  soul  —  but  it  is  full  of  all  kinds  of  shadows  that 
ought  not  to  be  there." 

"  What  must  I  do,  please?  "  I  asked.  "  I  do  not  like 
the  shadows,  but  they  always  seem  to  come  crowd- 
ing in." 

He  looked  at  me  penetratingly  with  his  deep-blue 
eyes.  There  is  something  astonishingly  attractive 
about  him;  his  manner  is  so  assured  and  calm,  and  it 
is  so  exquisite  for  him  to  be  gentle  and  sympathetic 
like  this,  because  his  face  in  repose,  or  when  talking  to 
others,  is  cynical,  and  there  is  always  a  whimsical  gleam 
in  his  eyes.  I  could  not  help  feeling  emotion.  It 
seemed  as  though  we  were  two  beings  apart  there  in 
the  supper-room  of  the  Redwood  Hunt  Ball  and  that 
we  had  turned  our  corner  into  our  own  little  kingdom. 
"  I  must  help  you  to  take  the  shadows  away,"  he 
said  softly.  "  You  must  let  me  find  the  key  of  the 
Moated  Grange,  after  all,  won't  you,  my  pale,  sweet 
lady?" 

"I  —  I  am  afraid,"  I  answered,  and  then  my  glance 
caught  sight  of  Mrs.  Dalison,  who  had  just  come  into 

47 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

the  room  and  sat  down  with  her  back  to  us.  She  had 
not  seen  us.  "  And,  besides  — "  I  went  on,  and  stopped 
abruptly. 

He  looked  at  her,  too,  and  then  he  looked  down  at 
his  plate;  and  when  his  eyes  sought  mine  again  they 
were  troubled. 

"  I  want  you  to  put  all  foolish  things  you  have  heard 
out  of  your  head  —  will  you,  please?"  he  pleaded. 
"  They  have  nothing  at  all  to  do  with  you  and  me  — 
the  side  of  me  that  I  want  you  to  let  come  into  your 
life  contains  only  those  things  which  I  think  you  would 
wish  that  it  should.  Good  God !  I  do  not  speak  in  this 
way  to  women  as  a  rule ;  I  do  not  know  what  has  come 
to  me  to-night,"  and  he  pushed  back  his  chair  for  a 
second  and  passed  his  hand  over  his  eyes. 

I  was  strangely  touched  —  and  I  knew  then  that 
I  wanted  him  so  to  be  my  friend,  and  that  I  hated  to 
think  material  unpleasant  tilings  about  him.  I  would 
try  not  to  let  these  ugly  thoughts  come  into  my  head. 
Letitia  has  often  said  there  are  sides  of  a  man  no  wise 
woman  should  investigate  if  she  wants  him  to  continue 
to  give  satisfaction  to  herself.  She  argued  to  me  once 
about  Freddy  Burgoyne  —  one  of  her  admirers.  "  Yes, 
I  know  Freddy  is  selfish  and  lets  those  other  women 
flatter  him  and  make  up  to  him  —  and  that  he  is  some- 
times vile  to  me  —  but  for  the  moment  he  is  the  tiling 
I  want  to  amuse  me;  so  as  long  as  that  feeling  lasts, 
why  should  I  spoil  it  by  letting  irrelevant  aspects  come 
between?  "  Letitia  is  so  wise,  I  will  try  to  copy  her. 
As  I  would  like  Sir  Hugh  for  my  friend,  why  should  I 
mind  his  having  some  part  of  him  which  finds  agreement 
with  a  painted-up  obvious  woman  like  Mrs.  Dalison? 

He  watched  me  anxiously,  and  then  he  said : 

"  You  need  never  speak  to  make  yourself  understood, 

48 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

you  know  —  the  whole  argument  has  been  disclosed  in 
those  gray  discs  —  and  you  are  right  in  the  conclusion 
you  have  come  to." 

"  Then  let  us  go  back  to  how  you  can  help  me  to 
chase  away  the  shadows,"  I  agreed. 

"  You  must  take  a  strong  interest  in  some  one  thing 
—  or  person,"  he  said,  "  so  that  your  mind  is  filled 
with  that  subject  to  the  exclusion  of  all  others." 

"  But  that  would  be  an  obsession.  What  then?  "  I 
demanded. 

"  Infinite  joy,"  and  his  voice  was  a  caress,  and  over 
me  there  rushed  a  mad  emotion,  a  sudden  realization  of 
what  life  could  mean  —  perhaps  —  what  love  could 
certainly  fulfil,  what  sorrow  might  be  —  alas !  and  I 
put  up  my  hands  unconsciously  to  ward  off  some  dan- 
ger, and  answered  him  very  low: 

"  There  are  too  many  possibilities  in  your  receipt 
for  shadow-chasing,  Sir  Hugh," 

He  did  not  press  the  subject  —  he  became  gay  again 
and  diverted  me,  and  then  presently  we  went  back  to 
the  ballroom  through  the  other  door,  unperceived  by 
Mrs.  Dalison. 

Here  we  danced  a  two-step,  a  new  dance  just  coming 
in  from  America  —  and  Sir  Hugh  did  this  better  than 
a  waltz,  and  I  enjoyed  it. 

"  I  really  don't  care  for  dancing,"  he  said.  "  It 
could  mean  divine  things  if  one  adored  the  woman  — 
and  then  one  would  not  want  to  hold  her  with  every 
one  looking  on  —  and  if  one  is  indifferent,  it  is  just  a 
teetotum  —  but  it  is  the  jolly  sort  of  thing  one  has  to 
do  at  times  !  " 

"  I  like  it,"  I  returned,  "  and  I  do  not  put  any  mean- 
ing into  it;  it  is  purely  pleasant  exercise." 

"  Well,  it  is  quite  suitable  that  we  should  finish  up 
49 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

our  enchanting  supper  in  a  banal  way  like  this,"  he 
announced.  "  Because  then  it  will  let  me  sleep  in  peace. 
I  was  extremely  disturbed  just  now." 

But  I  did  not  tell  him  that  I  had  been  so,  too.  Then 
we  stopped  near  Humphrey,  and  Sir  Hugh  exchanged 
some  cheerful,  friendly  banter  with  him,  and  sauntered 
off  indifferently,  leaving  my  husband  well  content.  I 
stayed  with  Humphrey  for  the  next  two  dances,  and  we 
walked  about  the  rooms,  and  he  introduced  me  to  more 
of  his  old  friends.  They  were  all  very  genial  and 
pleased  to  welcome  us  —  and  I  felt  so  happy.  I  was 
more  unbending  than  usual,  and,  I  hope,  made  a  better 
impression. 

Humphrey  was  actually  satisfied  with  me  —  and  told 
me  so  grudgingly  on  our  way  home.  Just  before  we 
were  leaving,  Sir  Hugh  came  up  again. 

"  Don't  you  forget,  General,  that  you  have  asked  me 
to  lunch  next  week,"  he  said.  "  I  particularly  want  to 
see  what  you  are  doing  in  your  stables  with  that  new 
patent  for  the  drainage.  Can  I  come  over  rather  early 
and  have  a  look  round?  " 

And  Humphrey  gladly  arranged  things  —  the  fol- 
lowing Tuesday  it  was  to  be ;  Sir  Hugh's  guests  would 
be  leaving  on  the  Monday. 

"  But  bring  some  of  your  friends  over  on  Sunday,  if 
you  like,"  Humphrey  continued.  "  The  place  is  so 
old,  it  interests  strangers." 

Sir  Hugh  accepted  with  not  too  great  a  show  of 
alacrity,  and  said  good  night. 

When  the  Sunday  came  I  began  to  feel  that  nervous 
excitement  I  have  experienced  once  or  twice.  All 
through  church  it  worried  me,  and  I  found  it  difficult  to 
keep  my  mind  on  any  subject. 

I  had  made  everything  I  am  allowed  to  have  a  say 

50 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

in  look  as  nice  as  I  could.  There  were  spring  flowers 
everywhere  that  Humphrey  will  let  them  be  put.  He 
does  not  like  flowers  in  the  rooms  he  sits  in,  he  says 
they  make  his  head  ache  in  the  place  where  he  was 
wounded  long  ago.  They  say  nothing  to  either  him  or 
Algernon  —  flowers.  Here  at  our  permanent  home 
gradually  I  shall  hope  to  be  allowed  to  take  some  inter- 
est in  the  garden  —  I  must  do  it  very  gradually, 
though,  and  at  least  in  my  little  turret  room  I  can  have 
whatever  masses  I  can  secure.  It  is  blazing  with  daffo- 
dils now,  and  tulips  and  hyacinths  of  purple  and  mauve, 
and  I  put  a  quaint  old  hooded  arm-chair  up  there  that 
Humphrey  turned  out  of  the  smoking-room,  and  cov- 
ered it  myself  with  a  piece  of  very  faded  magenta  bro- 
cade that  has  become  a  tone  of  wonderful  beauty  since 
its  early  Victorian  blatant  days.  And  there  are  cur- 
tains of  this  weird  shade,  too,  but  all  so  changed  with 
time  that  they  belie  the  name  magenta.  Humphrey 
condemned  them  only  last  Thursday  from  the  smaller 
sitting-room  which  had  been  furnished  by  his  mother, 
and  I  gladly  took  them  to  my  bare  little  shrine.  They 
are  of  the  thickest  silk  and  no  objectionable  pattern, 
and  I  am  well  content;  and  when  I  get  great  sprays 
of  purple  iris  against  them  they  seem  to  glow  into 
wondrous  tints. 

I  am  saving  up  my  slender  pocket-money,  and  when 
I  have  enough  I  am  going  to  buy  one  of  those  tiny 
pianos  one  can  get  for  yachts,  and  it  will  go  into  the 
space  between  the  east  and  north  window,  then  I  can 
play  to  myself  for  hours,  and  no  one  will  hear  me  or 
become  fretful  with  the  noise.  Algernon  hates  music, 
it  irritates  him  always  when  I  play  —  unless  sometimes 
a  jolly  comic  song  that  he  can  shout  out  of  tune.  Is  it 
not  strange  that  my  own  son  should  not  have  one  touch 

51 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

in  him  of  this  great  passion  of  mine,  but  should  be  all 
like  his  father  in  his  tastes  and  desires?  Perhaps  Le- 
titia's  theory  is  right,  after  all. 

The  Duchess  and  Miss  St.  Clair  came  with  the  Min- 
ton  Dremont  party  of  men,  about  four  o'clock  —  they 
had  walked  over,  and  there  was  another  woman,  too  — 
the  one  who  had  admired  Algernon,  and  also  Lady 
Hilda  Flint.  There  were  nine  of  the  party  altogether, 
counting  Sir  Hugh. 

We  took  them  first  to  the  stables  and  the  green- 
houses, and  then  the  Duchess  was  enthusiastic  about 
the  moat  and  the  walled  garden,  and  the  old,  old,  shab- 
by rooms.  And  Humphrey  himself  actually  suggested 
that  they  should  be  taken  up  to  the  Lady  Margaret's 
Chamber,  and  told  the  ghost  story  there  —  and  at  this 
Sir  Hugh  frowned.  But  I  had  to  lead  the  way,  only 
we  went  to  it  from  the  great  stone  main  staircase,  not 
by  my  winding  turret  steps. 

They  were  full  of  exclamations  and  admiration,  but 
one  and  all  decided  nothing  would  induce  them  to  in- 
habit such  a  ghostly  place.  The  door  into  my  shrine 
was  closed,  and  I  did  not  open  it,  but  Miss  St.  Clair 
did,  in  a  happy-go-lucky  way.  The  sun  was  pouring 
in  at  the  west  window  obliquely  through  the  immense 
thickness  of  the  walls,  and  fell  upon  the  old  chair  and 
the  flowers  on  the  table  with  a  great  shaft  of  light;  it 
made  a  wonderful  picture,  and  she  cried  aloud,  and  Sir 
Hugh,  in  the  rapid  clustering  of  the  rest  of  the  com- 
pany to  see  it,  got  close  and  whispered  in  my  ear : 

"  I  hate  them  to  go  there  —  I  want  to  think  of  that 
shrine  always  for  you  alone." 

Humphrey  then  explained  to  them  about  the  stair- 
case; they  must  go  down  it,  they  said,  and  all  pressed 
forward  —  Sir  Hugh  and  I  were  left  to  the  last.  Then. , 

52 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

he  drew  me  to  the  east  window,  and  pointed  to  the  trees 
in  the  park  of  Minton  Dremont. 

"  Every  morning  when  you  look  out  at  that  tallest 
oak,  with  my  flag  waving  above  it,  remember  that  the 
man  who  owns  both  is  thinking  of  you,  sweet  Ladye," 
he  whispered,  and  turned  down  the  dark  stairs  after 
the  others  without  a  word  more,  leaving  me,  with  my 
heart  beating  strangely,  to  follow  as  best  I  could. 

"  You  must  have  a  golf  course  in  the  park  beyond 
the  moat,"  they  all  assured  Humphrey,  and  he  mur- 
mured a  consent.  He  has  taken  to  golf  himself  now 
in  the  past  six  months.  I  am  glad  for  him  to  do  any- 
thing. When  he  first  gave  up  his  command  he  did 
nothing  but  hang  about  me,  and  was  cross  and  com- 
plaining and  often  having  the  gout. 

Algernon  had  joined  us  before  we  came  upstairs  to 
my  room,  and  was  enchanting  the  lady  who  had  ad- 
mired him  so.  He  is  like  Humphrey,  he  is  always  gal- 
lant and  attractive  to  strangers,  but  I  wish  he  would 
be  kinder  to  me  when  we  are  alone ;  I  fear  he  will  never 
be  kind  to  any  woman;  he  will  make  a  masterful  and 
fascinating  lover  by-and-by,  but  the  instinct  which 
shows  when  he  teases  Petrov  will  always  come  out. 

On  Sundays  he  stays  up  to  dinner  with  us,  and  he 
held  forth  about  the  party  that  had  been  in  the  after- 
noon. Sir  Hugh  was  a  "  jolly  good  sort,"  and  he 
ticketed  off  the  rest  with  wonderful  accuracy,  much  to 
Humphrey's  amusement.  He  encourages  Algernon  to 
talk,  and  then  for  the  slightest  weariness  caused,  he 
snubs  him  sharply,  and  has  often  sent  him  to  bed;  so 
the  boy  is  alternately  arrogant  or  nervous.  He  is  only 
really  happy  and  sweet  when  he  is  out  for  a  ride  alone 
with  me.  I  never  like  to  see  his  faults,  because  he  is 
my  child,  but  I  cannot  help  realizing  as  time  goes 

53 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

on  that  nature  is  stronger  than  any  influence,  and  that 
whatever  I  can  do  with  my  tenderness  is  counterbal- 
anced by  the  strong  Bohun  strain. 

Oh!  I  wonder  what  it  would  have  been  like  if  I  had 
married  some  one  I  loved,  and  my  son  had  hourly  re- 
minded me  of  dear  features  and  traits,  creeping  ever 
more  deeply  into  my  heart  in  consequence. 

I  wonder,  if  Sir  Hugh  had  a  son,  what  he  would  be 
like  —  ? 

I  wonder  if  he  will  marry?  Surely  there  must  be  a 
draught  coming  in  from  the  west  window  —  or  the  day 
has  turned  chill.  I  feel  suddenly  cold. 

Rooks,  what  are  you  telling  each  other  with  your 
cawing?  Some  tale  of  love  and  the  spring-time,  surely, 
you  grave  people.  But  your  nests  are  full  of  little 
ones  and  the  fulfilment  of  the  growing  year. 


CHAPTER  VI 

i  

nETTTIA  paid  us  a  surprise  visit  on  Monday. 
She  was  motoring  up  to  Cheshire  and  looked 
in  upon  us  on  her  way,  she  said. 

She  had  a  quizzical  expression  in  her  eye  as 
she  talked  with  me  up  in  my  turret  chamber  after  tea. 

"  This  room  looks  charming  now,"  she  said.  "  It  is 
rather  like  you,  Guinevere,  with  its  gray  stone  walls 
and  transparently  simple  furniture,  and  then  these  rich, 
faded  curtains  and  the  purple  flowers  against  them.  I 
believe  there  are  tremendous  possibilities  for  passion  in 
you." 

"  Then  you  ought  not  to  try  and  stir  them  up  by 
suggesting  their  existence,"  I  returned.  "  You  know 
very  well  what  my  life  is,  and  how  I  must  go  through 
with  it." 

"  You  said  when  I  was  here  before  that  you  wanted 
to  live  —  I  was  wondering  if  you  had  begun." 

I  wondered,  too,  but  I  did  not  say  anything. 

"  Tell  me  about  the  race  week  and  Hugh  Dremont's 
party,"  my  sister  went  on.  "  I  had  an  amusing  letter 
from  Ada  Majoribanks  this  morning  before  I  started, 
with  her  version,  but  I  want  to  hear  yours." 

"  It  was  quite  agreeable,"  I  responded.  "  I  did  not 
make  out  which  was  Lady  Marjoribanks  —  only  one 
or  two  of  them  spoke  to  me,  you  know." 

"  I  dare  say.  They  are  rather  casual  in  that  set  — 
but  most  of  them  are  my  intimate  friends.  I  ought  to 
have  told  them  to  be  nice  to  ou." 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

"  I  really  did  not  particularly  want  them  to  be  so," 
and  I  looked  out  of  the  east  window  idly.  "  Besides,  I 
should  hate  that  people  should  be  nice  to  me  to  please 
some  one  else,  not  from  inclination." 

"  Guinevere,  don't  be  a  fool  —  you  must  take  things 
as  they  are.  In  the  world,  you  see,  it  is  all  a  question 
of  quid  pro  quo;  no  one  has  time  for  any  retJ  senti- 
ments; and  then  one  set  gets  to  know  all  its  own  little 
ways  and  looks  upon  any  additional  person  from  out- 
side as  an  interloper.  We  all  know  what  we  are  each 
going  to  say  or  do,  and  what  our  particular  cat's-tricks 
will  be  with  each  other,  so  it  is  no  trouble,  whereas,  if 
a  new  woman  comes  in,  we  are  disturbed  —  she  may 
have  strange  methods,  and  her  claws  may  be  sharpened 
in  a  different  way,  and  she  may  be  a  dangerous  quan- 
tity, and  snatch  our  men.  So  we  freeze  her,  on  chance." 

"  One  would  think  the  men  would  get  terribly  bored 
with  all  of  you,  meeting  you  over  and  over  again,"  I 
hazarded.  "It  cannot  be  amusing  for  a  man  to  know 
exactly  what  you  are  all  going  to  say  upon  any  given 
occasion." 

"  We  become  habits  —  and  we  are  all  easy  and  sans 
gene,"  Letitia  returned,  leaning  back  her  comely  head 
against  the  faded  magenta  chair  back,  "  and  they  have 
not  to  make  any  special  exertions  for  us.  Then  there 
is  the  gentle  stimulation  of  the  periodical  shuffle  of  the 
people  we  are  amusing  ourselves  with,  and  we  are  all 
fairly  well  educated  and  have  picked  up  all  the  political 
and  literary  shibboleths  that  are  necessary  to  carry  on 
the  game.  You  see,  one  year,  we'll  say,  I  watch  the 
Duchess  and  Freddy  Burgoyne.  I  see  all  the  faults  in 
her  methods  with  him,  and  I  try  to  correct  them  when 
I  get  him  to  play  with,  and  so  on  with  the  rest,  accord- 
ing to  their  intelligence." 

56 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

"Was  Lady  Marjoribanks  the  one  with  the  narrow- 
eyes  and  fuzzy  hair  and  rather  frumpish  clothes  ?  "  I 
asked. 

"  I  expect  so,"  said  my  sister.  "  She  does  not  look 
attractive  at  the  first  glance,  but  she  is  awfully  clever, 
and  has  brought  the  art  of  flattering  a  man  to  the 
finest  point.  She  gets  everything  out  of  him  —  the 
secrets  of  his  innermost  soul  —  and  twists  them  all  to 
her  purpose.  It  is  much  wisest  to  be  friends  with  Ada. 
Winnie  Latrobe  was  there,  too.  Did  you  meet  her?  " 

I  said  I  believed  that  was  a  lady's  name,  and  she  was 
the  one  who  had  admired  Algernon. 

"  Poor  old  Win !  "  Letitia  said.  "  She  is  separated 
from  Sir  Henry,  her  husband.  But  his  family  stuck  to 
her  —  she's  so  rich  —  so  she  still  goes  everywhere.  Her 
father  was  a  shrewd,  hard-headed  Scotch  coal  owner." 

"  She  rhapsodized  over  Algernon,"  I  said. 

"  She  has  her  eye  upon  him  for  five  years  from  now, 
for  her  daughter,  you  may  depend  upon  it,  dear  —  you 
will  then  have  to  be  careful  with  him."  And  Letitia 
laughed  her  merry  laugh,  showing  her  rather  big  white 
teeth.  If  one  wanted  a  specimen  of  something  whole- 
some and  splendid,  one  would  select  Letitia. 

"  Do  3'ou  all  hate  each  other  underneath?  "  I  asked 
• —  but  she  looked  quite  surprised. 

"  Of  course  we  don't !  We  are  like  our  men  are  with 
us  —  accustomed  to  one  another.  We  only  get  up 
little  hates  during  the  shuffiing  season,  if  one  of  us 
undermines  the  other's  friend  before  we  are  ready  to 
let  him  go  —  but  we  soon  settle  down  again." 

"  One  woman  gushed  to  me  over  her  children,"  I 
said. 

"  Oh,  that  was  surely  Lady  George  Trebearn,"  Le- 
titia returned.  "  She  always  does  to  strangers  —  of 

57 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

course  we  all  know  she  never  troubles  about  them  the 
moment  they  are  old  enough  to  be  no  longer  graceful 
adjuncts  to  her  style  of  beauty.  She  has  at  least  six, 
and  two  ought  to  be  coming  out  next  year  —  they  are 
rather  plain,  so  probably  she'll  put  it  off  for  a  season 
or  two." 

"  It  sounds  all  very  wonderful  to  me,"  I  said..  "  How 
do  they  look  upon  marriage  vows  in  your  world?" 

"  Marriage  vows !  "  laughed  Leteitia.  "  My  world, 
or  any  world,  was  always  the  same,  my  little  sister,  be- 
cause it  contains  human  beings  of  two  sexes  —  and  the 
Almighty  planted  a  strong  desire  in  them  for  each 
other,  to  make  his  scheme  for  continued  population 
work  against  any  odds.  During  all  the  ages  this  mag- 
netic attraction  will  suddenly  start  up  between  two  peo- 
ple, and  if  it  is  strong  enough,  no  marriage  vows  have 
ever  been  the  least  use.  In  some  times  like  the  Cinque- 
cento  people  understood  this.  Then  climate  makes  a 
difference  —  and  opportunity  —  and  the  wave  of  senti- 
ment. In  the  Victorian  era  a  period  of  rigorous  hy- 
pocrisy held  sway,  and  lots  of  women  were  as  good  as 
gold  because  they  could  not  get  beyond  its  influence, 
and  it  was  a  fortunate  thing.  But  no  laws  will  make 
human  beings  faithful  to  one  another.  There  are  some 
intensely  sensitive  souls  —  you  are  probably  one,  Guin- 
evere "  —  and  my  sister  looked  at  me  critically  — 
"  who  have  such  a  high  self-respect  that  they  could  not 
soil  their  own  sense  of  honor  in  a  bargain,  and  so  they 
might  remain  faithful  physically ;  but  even  such  beings 
cannot  control  the  spirit,  and  they  sin  —  if  it  is  sin, 
which  I  do  not  altogether  admit  —  whenever  their 
thoughts  turn  to  the  loved  one." 

"  It  is  frightfully  difficult  to  understand,"  I  sighed. 

"  Not  at  all,"  returned  my  sister.  "  One  must  have 

58 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

a  sense  of  the  fitness  of  things,  and  not  make  scandals, 
if  one  is  unlucky  enough  not  to  have  a  high  sense  of 
honor.  One  must  in  every  way  fulfil  one's  duties  in 
life  and  the  duties  of  one's  position  —  and  if  it  is  im- 
portant to  continue  a  fine  family,  I  think  it  is  abomin- 
ably unfair  not  to  play  the  game  —  but,  after  all  those 
things  are  done,  I  maintain  it  is  entirely  '  up  to  you,' 
as  the  Americans  say  so  cleverly,  whether  you  choose 
to  enjoy  your  life  as  you  like,  or  no.  You  may  be  cer- 
tain, if  you  do  it  in  a  stupid  way  which  infringes  upon 
the  comfort  or  prejudice  of  the  community  in  which 
you  live,  and  you  break  their  moral  law,  you  will  be 
made  to  pay  for  it.  To  keep  things  going  well  for  the 
community  you  have  to  bow  to  Hypocrisy.  It  is  much 
the  best  thing  to  do,  no  matter  what  your  opinions  may 
be." 

"  Then  there  is  no  truth  or  faith  or  honesty  left,"  I 
said  sadly.  "  I  hate  to  think  all  these  things,  Letitia." 

My  sister  looked  at  me  so  kindly. 

"  You  always  were  a  darling  little  fool,  Guinevere," 
she  declared.  "  There  is  all  truth  and  faith  and  hon- 
esty, but  we  each  of  us  create  our  own.  Your  class  of 
soul  will  draw  its  heaven  in  the  passionate  and  exalted 
devotion  of  one  man  —  those  are  your  ideals  —  as  the 
eagle,  noblest  of  birds,  has  one  mate.  Your  brain  ca- 
pacity and  your  sweet  personality  might  probably  keep 
the  one  man  loving  you  always  —  when  he  found  you  — 
and  the  degradation  to  your  spirit,  did  you  give  your- 
self to  both  a  husband  and  a  lover,  would  probably  en- 
tirely obliterate  for  you  any  pleasure  in  so  doing.  You 
are  naturally  a  pure  and  refined  ego  —  but  there  are 
millions  and  millions  who  have  not  reached  that  plane 
yet,  and  who  get  heaven  and  all  the  joy  of  life  out  of 
change.  It  is  certainly  not  for  you  or  me  to  judge 
*  59 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

them,  although  we  may  be  sorry  for  them.  All  we  caa 
judge  or  condemn  are  their  methods,  if  they  give  the 
thing  away  and  so  degrade  the  community."  Letitia's 
face  was  quite  serious  now.  "  For  the  continuation  of 
society  —  for  a  chance  to  be  given  to  all  to  grow  to 
your  plane — the  outside  decencies  must  be  kept  up  as  a 
good  example.  That  is  all  one  ought  to  ask  of  people, 
because  all  are  not  strong  enough  to  be  nobly  good  in 
themselves." 

"  Yes,  I  see,"  I  said.  "  The  right  and  wrong  of  a 
thing,  then,  lies  entirely  in  the  personal  conscience  upon 
the  matter,  according  to  your  theory." 

Letitia  puffed  smoke  rings  while  she  went  on  medi- 
tatively : 

"  The  personal  conscience  should  always  be  guided 
by  the  result  of  any  action  upon  the  community  — 
otherwise  chaos  would  come  again.  We  must  all  re- 
member that  we  have  only  the  right  to  enjoy  ourselves 
when  we  are  not  deliberately  hurting  the  community, 
and  even  then  it  is  a  serious  question,  and  generally 
brings  pain." 

"  What  should  a  woman  do,  when  she  has  children?  " 
I  asked.  My  sister  does  interest  me  so  when  she  holds 
forth. 

"  What  all  good  animals  do  —  take  the  tenderest. 
care  of  them  until  they  can  take  care  of  themselves," 
she  retorted.  "  That  is  one  of  Nature's  inexorable 
laws,  and  the  breaking  of  it  draws  nearly  all  the  misery 
of  civilized  life." 

At  this  moment  we  heard  a  noise  on  the  little  stair- 
case. It  developed  from  just  a  sound  into  articulate 
swearing,  so  I  knew  it  was  my  husband,  and  that  he  had 
probably  come  out  of  the  drawing-room  floor  and 
grazed  some  part  of  his  person  in  the  dark.  This  would 

60 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

mean  he  would  blame  somebody,  and  either  order  a 
light  to  be  permanently  kept  on  the  staircase,  or  decide 
not  to  come  that  way  himself  again  —  I  hoped  the 
latter,  which  proved  to  be  correct.  He  went  back  into 
the  library  and  shut  the  door  —  but  the  interruption 
broke  the  thread  of  Letitia's  homily  upon  worldly 
ethics,  and  she  turned  to  the  subject  of  clothes,  and  so 
back  to  the  party  at  Minton  Dremont.  It  appeared 
Ada  Marjoribanks  had  mentioned  me  in  her  letter  — 
"  A  quiet  little  thing,  your  sister,  with  a  certain  dis- 
tinction, my  dear  Letitia,"  and  "  stormy  eyes  "  —  she 
had  written  —  also  that  "  Claire  Dalison's  day  was 
completely  over,  a  bat  could  see  that,"  but  who  should 
have  the  proud  position  of  diverter  of  the  transient 
fancy  of  the  gifted  host  was  still  uncertain !  Each  had 
tried  her  hardest,  and  would  continue  to  do  so,  as  the 
perquisites  of  the  situation,  as  they  all  well  knew,  were 
not  to  be  sneezed  at! 

I  wondered  had  this  pack  of  charming  wolves  known 
about  our  supper,  and  that  Sir  Hugh  is  coming  to- 
morrow to  luncheon  —  to  inspect  the  new  system  of 
the  stables'  drainage  —  what  inference  would  they  put 
upon  these  facts !  —  and  a  smile  grew  in  my  eyes,  which 
Letitia  noticed. 

"  Guinevere,"  she  said,  getting  up  from  her  chair 
and  sitting  down  in  the  east  window-seat,  "  I  want  to 
give  you  this  piece  of  advice  —  If  the  person  who  owns 
those  red  chimneys  and  lordly  tree-tops  turns  his  eye 
in  your  humble  direction,  never  let  them  —  my  friends 
—  have  a  suspicion  about  it.  They  would  tear  you  in 
pieces  remorselessly  —  they  would  destroy  you  socially, 
and  make  you  ridiculous  to  him  —  they  are  all  very 
clever,  you  know,  child." 

A  shaft  of  the  dying  sunlight  came  from  under  a 
61 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

heavy  cloud  through  the  west  window,  and  gilded  my 
head.  It  seemed  like  God's  glory  and  peace,  and  I  an- 
swered her  calmly. 

"  I  do  not  speak  of  Sir  Hugh  Dremont  in  this,  Leti- 
tia,  but  of  any  man  who  cared  for  me.  If  his  love  could 
not  stand  the  test  of  the  insidious  attack  of  those  poor 
things  of  earth  —  it  could  not  touch  me,  or  my  heart 
—  his  soul  would  not  be  fine  enough  —  because  all  these 
things  and  these  methods  that  you  have  been  speaking 
about  are  not  in  my  ken,  and  cannot  affect  me." 

Letitia  kissed  me,  and  her  eyes  filled  with  tears. 

"  Darling,"  she  said,  "  I  hate  to  remember  that  long 
ago  —  when  I  did  not  know  —  I  helped  to  build  this 
prison-house  for  you.  But  oh!  Guinevere,  if  you  ever 
want  a  friend,  with  her  head  screwed  on,  remember  your 
old  sister." 

We  are  not  emotional  people,  and  when  I  had  re- 
turned her  expression  of  feeling,  we  at  once  talked  of 
other  things  —  and  Algernon  came  bounding  in  from 
my  bedroom,  alas !  chasing  Petrov,  who  turned  at  bay 
and  hissed  at  him  from  beneath  the  table. 

"  Algernon,  I  have  asked  you  not  to  tease  my  cat," 
I  said  to  him.  '*  Please  try  to  remember,  dear  boy." 

His  handsome  gray  eyes  looked  up  at  me  defiantly, 
and  then  he  hung  his  head.  "  I  don't  know  why  you 
have  the  nasty  beast,  mother  —  I  wonder  father  lets 
you,"  he  stuttered. 

Letitia  scolded  him,  and  tried  to  explain  that  I  had 
a  right  to  my  pets  just  as  he  had,  and  it  was  very  rude 
and  cowardly  of  him  continually  to  provoke  Petrov. 

His  face  grew  crimson  with  temper,  and  he  would 
have  been  impertinent  in  a  second,  only  that  children 
and  servants  are  not  naturally  impertinent  to  Letitia. 

"  Would  you  like  your  mother  to  chase  Pip  every 

62 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

time  she  saw  him  ?  "  my  sister  asked.  Pip  is  one  of 
Algernon's  clever  ratting  terriers,  and  not  a  well- 
behaved  dog  in  the  house. 

"  No,"  my  son  retorted ;  "  but,  of  course,  that  is 
ridiculous,  Aunty.  Pip's  a  dog,  not  a  cat !  " 

He  said  it  in  exactly  the  same  tone  that  Humphrey 
once  used  to  me,  in  speaking  of  the  justice  of  a  certain 


case: 
it 


How  absurd  you  are,  Guinevere!    We  are  talking 
of  a  woman,  not  a  man." 

I   hope  Eton  will  equilibrate  Algernon's   point   of 
view !  —  if  some  day  I  shall  have  a  daughter-in-law. 


CHAPTER  VII 

*HIS  morning  Humphrey  informed  my  sister 
that  Sir  Hugh  was  lunching  —  I  had  tried  to 
say  it  casually  yesterday  when  we  talked  in 
my  little  room,  but  somehow  it  would  not 
come  out  —  and  now,  as  my  husband  spoke,  she  caught 
mJ  eje>  and  I  felt  myself  becoming  crimson.  It  infuri- 
ated me  so,  that  when  Sir  Hugh  did  arrive,  on  his  black 
horse,  looking  so  attractive,  I  was  like  ice  to  him.  He 
came  at  half-past  twelve  —  to  see  the  stables,  one  must 
suppose!  Well,  he  had  to  in  any  case,  because  I  went 
up  to  my  room  the  minute  we  had  shaken  hands  out  in 
the  courtyard,  and  did  not  come  down  again  until  the 
lunch-gong  sounded.  I  fancy  Letitia  and  Humphrey 
conducted  him  to  see  those  interesting  drains. 

I  could  not  have  been  more  aloof  than  I  was  at 
luncheon,  and  most  of  the  conversation  fell  to  Hum- 
phrey and  Algernon,  so  far  as  the  family  at  Redwood 
Moat  was  concerned.  Then,  after  lunch,  Letitia  had 
to  start  on  her  journey  to  Cheshire. 

"  I'll  leave  at  two-fifteen,"  she  said.  "  Humphrey, 
do  send  some  gees  on  to  Templehurst  now,  and  you  and 
Algernon  come  with  me  in  the  motor.  I  am  sure  if  you 
once  tried  this  open  Mercedes,  you  would  be  persuaded 
to  have  one  —  you'd  find  it  so  awfully  useful  for  the 
far  meets." 

Humphrey  demurred,  but  Letitia  used  her  most  en- 
trancing cajolements,  and  Algernon  was  dying  to  go, 
so  at  last  my  husband  gave  way. 

64  * 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

"  Guinevere,  you'll  have  to  give  Sir  Hugh  some  cof- 
fee—  we've  no  time  to  stop  for  ours,"  Humphrey  an- 
nounced, to  my  intense  surprise.  Never  before  in  our 
married  lives  has  he  suggested  leaving  me  alone  with  a 
man.  It  shows  the  effect  Sir  Hugh  must  have  had  upon 
him  —  or  Letitia  and  the  motor. 

Sir  Hugh  murmured  something  about  being  obliged 
to  rush  off  immediately,  and  paid  no  further  attention 
to  me,  until  we  were  standing  alone  watching  the  car 
glide  over  the  drawbridge  —  now  permanently  lowered 
while  we  are  at  home.  Then  he  turned  and  said,  in  the 
voice  of  a  glad  schoolboy : 

"  They  will  arrive  at  Templehurst  at  about  half- 
past  three,  but  the  horses  cannot  be  there  until  four 
o'clock,  and  it  will  take  more  than  an  hour  and  a  half 
to  get  them  back  here,  which  brings  it  to  half-past  five 
—  or  later.  If  you  should  be  lonely  during  that  time, 
may  I  stay  foi  a  little  after  we  have  had  our  coffee?" 

I  said  a  kind  of  yes,  and  led  him  to  the  drawing- 
room,  where  I  had  told  Hartington  we  would  have  ft. 
And  while  he  was  following  me  up  the  great  stone  stairs 
Sir  Hugh  made  suitable  remarks  about  their  wonderful 
antiquity  and  their  state  of  preservation,  so  that  all 
nervousness  had  left  me  by  the  time  we  reached  the  big 
cold  room.  A  wood-fire  had  just  been  lit  in  the  huge 
open  grate,  and  a  dog  or  two  slumbered  on  the  bearskin 
rug  in  front  of  it. 

There  is  a  queer  scent  in  some  burning  wood  which 
seems  to  awaken  memory  in  me  —  some  vague,  strange 
memory  of  long  ago,  it  would  almost  seem  of  some  pre- 
vious existence,  as  I  never  can  trace  it  to  anything 
conscious  in  my  present  one.  It  causes  me  some  feel- 
ing of  shelter  after  stress,  a  haven  reached  after  hard 
fighting,  a  sudden  contentment. 

65 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

I  was  aware  of  this  now  creeping  over  me  as  the 
logs  crackled  and  blazed  —  and  we  went  over  close  to 
them.  Hartington  had  already  brought  the  coffee,  and 
it  stood  with  liqueurs  and  cigarettes  on  a  little  table 
near.  I  sat  down  in  one  of  the  great,  splendid  carved 
chairs  whose  backs  tower  above  the  head  of  the  person 
/seated,  in  a  scroll-work  of  black  oak  ending  in  a  king's 
crown  —  of  the  Cavaliers'  time,  I  believe,  before  the 
family  turned  Roundhead,  and  a  gift  from  King  Charles 
the  Martyr. 

Sir  Hugh  took  his  cup  and  handed  me  mine  without 
further  ceremony,  and  for  a  few  moments  he  did  not 
speak ;  then  he  finished  his  coffee  and  came  over  nearer 
to  me. 

"  Will  you  play  to  me?  "  he  asked  very  gently,  with- 
out any  "  please,"  and  I  said  "  Yes,"  and  went  to  the 
piano.  He  pulled  a  chair  where  he  could  comfortably 
watch  my  face,  and  he  took  a  cigarette  c.iid  leaned  back, 
half  closing  his  eyes.  And  all  the  pent-up  emotion  in 
my  heart  rushed  forth  in  the  music,  so  that  I  forgot  his 
presence  almost,  and  lived  again  in  that  far  world  into 
which  I  often  go. 

I  played  for  half  an  hour,  perhaps,  without  stopping, 

one  thing  after  another,  until  I  came  to  an  arrangement 

I  have  made  of  that  simple  song  of  the  North,  "  Aye 

fond  kiss,"  and  it  sobbed  out  under  my  fingers,  and 

)  then  there  was  silence. 

Sir  Hugh  got  up  and  came  to  the  piano.  He  had  not 
stirred  all  the  time  —  and  his  cigarette  was  still  un- 
lighted. 

"  I  won't  say  thank  you,"  he  murmured,  very  low. 
"  It  is  beyond  that.  Your  sister  said  you  were  a  witch, 
and  I  think  she  was  right  —  You  have  cast  a  spell  over 
me.  You  took  me  to  heaven  —  and  hell  —  in  these 

66 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

thirty  minutes  —  I  seemed  to  grow  detached,  and  taste 
of  things  beyond."  His  voice  ceased,  and  he  looked 
deeply  into  my  eyes.  "  I  saw  times  of  my  boyhood,'* 
he  went  on,  as  I  did  not  speak  but  sat  idly  there  before 
the  keys,  with  my  hands  in  my  lap.  "  I  felt  old  beliefs 
returning,  old  emotions  surging  up,  and  then  strange 
sorrows  —  and  that  last  thing  seems  the  ech»  of  some 
exquisite  pain." 

I  played  it  again  very  softly,  with  him  leaning  there 
close  to  me  —  and  then  I  looked  straight  up  into  his 
blue  eyes. 

"  Burns'  words  are  sad  enough,"  I  said,  "  but  they 
mean  nothing  to  me  —  that  simpler  air  says  everything 
that  one  could  say  of  farewell." 

"  Play  something  gay,  then,"  he  pleaded  seriously. 
;<  There  shall  never  be  farewell  between  you  and  me." 

But  I  rose  from  the  piano. 

"  No,  I  will  not  play  any  more  to-day  —  the  mood 
is  over,"  I  said.  "  We  must  leave  it  at  —  Farewell." 

I  could  see  he  was  extremely  moved  —  and  oh !  I  was 
so  stirred  myself,  I  did  not  dare  to  look  again  at  him 

—  he  walked  rapidly  to  the  fireplace  and  lit  his  ciga- 
rette, and  then  he  said : 

"  I  want  to  see  your  books  —  the  things  you  touch 
and  read,  that  occupy  you.  Won't  you  show  them  to 
me?  " 

"  They  are  all  upstairs  in  the  turret  room,"  I  an- 
swered, "  and  I  cannot  take  you  there." 

"  Yes,  I  suppose  everything  must  be  for  you  —  alone 

—  untouched  by  the  rest  of  the  world.     I  should  have 
known  that." 

"  I  have  to  be  solitary,"  I  sighed,  "  because  no  one 
else  cares  for  the  things  I  do  —  it  is  not  because  I  like 
being  lonely." 

67 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

"  Then  you  would  share  your  pleasure  if  you  came 
across  one  who  could  feel  it  with  you  ? "  he  asked 
eagerly  —  and  tenderly. 

"  I  might  —  could  such  a  being  be  found." 

"  How  commonplace  and  distasteful  you  would  make 
the  rest  of  the  world  seem  if  one  were  much  with  you," 
he  exclaimed,  as  though  struck  with  something  sud- 
denly ;  "  unless  one  could  keep  you  always,  it  would  be 
the  sorrow  and  ache  of  that  tune." 

"  Oh !  "  I  cried,  "  Sir  Hugh  —  we  are  becoming  too 
serious.  Try  to  remember  you  are  here  taking  coffee 
with  a  dull  country  neighbor,  and  should  now  be  saying 
adieu." 

But  he  did  not  stir.    He  only  looked  up  at  the  clock. 

"  It  is  not  half-past  three  yet,"  he  said.  "  They 
have  only  about  got  to  Templehurst.  What  are  you 
going  to  do  with  the  rest  of  the  afternoon  ?  " 

"  I  had  thought  of  seeing  Jenkins  —  the  head  gar- 
dener —  and  perhaps  getting  in  a  few  hints  of  my 
wishes  about  things.  Humphrey  does  not  like  any  one 
to  interfere  openly  with  anything  here  "  —  and  then, 
feeling  I  ought  not  to  have  given  away  this  secret,  I 
added  hurriedly  — "  You  see,  it  was  his  old  family 
home,  and  of  course  it  is  natural  that  he  should  not 
like  me  to  touch  it." 

Such  a  look  came  in  Sir  Hugh's  face  —  and  his  eye- 
brow went  up. 

"  Not  like  you  to  touch  it ! "  he  exclaimed. 
"  Why  — "  he  left  his  sentence  unfinished,  and  puffed 
his  cigarette.  Then  he  went  on:  "  The  joy  to  have  a 
garden  —  or  anything  that  you  had  arranged !  How  I 
wish  you  would  come  and  settle  one  for  me !  Will  you  ? 
I  will  have  exactly  what  you  would  wish,  and  it  shall  be 
sacred  to  you,  and  no  one  shall  ever  go  there." 

68 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

"  But  what  good  would  that  be  to  me,  Sir  Hugh?  " 
I  asked.  "  I  could  never  see  it  except  by  stealth ;  and 
a  garden  should  be  a  rest  —  a  soulagement  from  pain 

—  a  friend  to  share  one's  moods  and  sympathize  with 
one's  thoughts  —  somewhere  to  escape  to  when  walls 
seem  to  detain  the  spirit  in  chains." 

"  Take  me  with  you  out  to  see  Jenkins,  then,"  he 
said.  "  And  let  us  find  a  bench  —  and  talk  —  out  of 
doors." 

"  I'll  get  a  coat.  It  has  turned  cold.  I  won't  keep 
you  waiting  long."  And  I  went  from  him  up  to  my 
room  through  the  turret  stairs. 

When  I  got  back  he  was  sitting  stroking  Petrov, 
who,  to  my  astonishment,  was  perched  upon  his  knees 

—  Petrov,  who  hates  all  men ! 

"  Oh !  that  is  dear  of  you,"  I  cried.  "  No  one  but  I 
am  ever  kind  to  my  poor  cat."  And  I  took  the  great 
blue-gray  beast  from  him  and  caressed  him,  crooning 
with  the  little  sounds  which  he  and  I  understand. 

"  He  cannot  want  any  other  kindness,"  Sir  Hugh 
retorted.  "  He  is  too  hatefully  fortunate  as  it  is." 

The  sinuous,  handsome  creature  pushed  his  sleek 
head  up  into  my  neck  under  my  chin  and  ear,  and 
purred  loudly  —  a  human  speech  could  not  have  better 
expressed  affection  and  content. 

"  He  is  the  one  thing  on  earth  who  loves  me  without 
reservation  —  loves  me  alone  —  and  only  me,"  I  said. 

Sir  Hugh  did  not  speak  —  and  I  carried  Petrov  to 
the  little  stairs  and  let  him  run  up  to  safety  in  the  tur- 
ret room.  How  he  got  into  the  drawing-room  I  do  not 
know. 

I  tried  to  be  merry  when  we  went  out  into  the  walled 
garden.  We  had  come  down  from  the  little  library,  but 
remembering  the  effect  of  the  dark  before,  I  did  not 

69 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

risk  it  again,  and  made  my  companion  go  on  first  and 
open  the  lower  door.  It  was  quite  warm  and  pleasant 
in  the  sunlight,  but  Jenkins  was  nowhere  about,  so  we 
sat  upon  an  old  bench,  facing  the  sun-dial,  and  dis- 
coursed of  many  things. 

Sir  Hugh  is  clever  and  exquisitely  cultivated  —  we 
could  jump  from  subject  to  subject  without  that  dis- 
tressing blankness  coming  into  his  face  which  so  often 
comes  into  people's  faces  unless  one  sticks  to  the  one 
thing  they  know.  We  spoke  of  Italy,  and  especially 
Venice,  where  I  went  last  year  —  only  it  was  too  early, 
and  Humphrey  hated  it,  and  turned  it  all  into  ridicule 
and  quarelled  with  the  gondoliers ;  but  I  used  to  try  and 
imagine  it  as  it  would  be  in  the  warmth  —  alone,  or 
with  a  sympathetic  companion.  Sir  Hugh  told  me  of  it 
now  so  that  I  could  see  it  all  again  —  and  glorified. 

He  has  read  strange  old  books,  too,  that  I  thought 
no  one  but  I  had  ever  bothered  about  —  even  Johnson's 
"  Rasselas  "  —  and  we  spoke  of  the  happy  valley  and 
the  weariness  of  the  everlasting  —  even  beauty  —  and 
Sir  Hugh  said,  the  reason  why  the  poor  prince  and  his 
sister  never  found  happiness  was  because  they  never 
even  looked  for  it  —  in  love. 

"  'Rasselas '  is  like  most  of  the  Bible,"  he  said. 
"  Love  —  what  I  mean  by  love  —  that  is,  not  merely  a 
physical  passion,  but  the  exaltation  of  the  soul  blended 
with  it  —  is  not  mentioned  as  a  factor  in  the  scheme 
of  things  by  Johnson.  Perhaps  he  did  not  know  of  it 
himself." 

"  Do  you  know  very  much  about  love,  Sir  Hugh?  " 
I  asked,  and  then  felt  dreadfully  frightened  at  myself 
for  such  daring  —  and  went  on  hurriedly  —  "I  mean, 
you  are  old  enough,  and  not  married,  and  —  free.  You 
have  had  time  to  learn." 

70 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

"  I  thought  I  did,"  he  answered,  tapping  his  boot 
with  his  riding  whip  and  not  looking  at  me.  "  But  now 
I  am  not  sure.  My  ideas  have  been  rather  upset  about 
it  —  lately.  Tell  me,  what  do  you  think  it  is  ?  " 

"  Something  beautiful  and  terrible  —  and  vital  — 
something  that  should  gild  dark  places  and  turn  stones 
into  jewels  —  something  tender  enough  to  be  of  the 
angels,  and  warm  enough  to  be  of  the  sun. — Oh !  some- 
thing that  could  never  be  on  earth,"  I  sighed. 

"  It  lies  with  the  woman  to  cause  such  feelings  in  a 
man,"  he  said.  "  Most  of  them  inspire  a  very  different 
set  of  sentiments.  People  forget  that  whatever  others 
who  know  them  well  feel  for  them  is  whatever  present- 
ment of  themselves  they  have  created  in  those  others' 
hearts." 

"  Yes,  that  seems  true." 

"  For  some  women  one  feels  nothing  but  a  physical 
desire  —  their  mental  qualities  do  not  enter  into  the 
matter  —  and  this  goes  off  as  soon  as  satisfied,  and 
disgust  alone  remains.  And  for  others  one  feels  respect 
—  or  sympathy  —  or  one  is  agreeably  amused  with 
them  —  each  emotion  caused  by  the  woman  herself.  It 
is  when  one  comes  upon  one  who  touches  all  these  notes 
in  a  man  —  then  an  almighty  passion  is  aroused,  a 
passion  which  could  grow  into  the  mainspring  of  — 
life." 

"  But  it  does  not  lie  with  the  woman  alone,  because  a 
woman  might  cause  such  feelings  in  one  man  and  leave 
ten  others  cold.  Those  things  could  only  be  aroused  if 
both  were  in  tune,  surely,"  I  said. 

He  turned  deliberately  and  looked  at  me  long,  as  if 
his  eyes  were  devouring  my  face  —  then  he  sighed  al- 
most unconsciously,  and  shook  himself  slightly,  turning 
to  the  sun. 

71 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

"  If  I  sit  here  talking  to  you  longer  now,"  he  said, 
"  upon  these  subjects,  I  shall  be  tempted  to  say  things 
to  you  that  you  might  be  angry  with  me  for.  I  have 
been  so  awfully  happy  to-day  that  I  want  to  take  away 
a  memory  of  peace.  If  I  can  arrange  it  so  that  it  is  no 
worry  for  you,  may  I  come  again?  " 

"  Yes,  do,"  I  returned.  "  It  is  past  four  o'clock 
now.  Will  you  come  back  to  the  house,  and  I  will  ring 
for  your  horse." 

"  I  want  you  to  come  to  Minton  Dremont.  I  want 
to  show  you  my  garden,  and  the  haunts  I  love.  I  shall 
write  a  formal  note  and  ask  you  to  lunch,  and  somehow 
I  will  arrange  that  I  have  you  to  myself  for  a  little  — 
if  you  will  let  me.  I  think  you  have  granted  me  just 
one  peep  inside  your  Moated  Grange  to-day." 

"  I  would  like  to  see  your  house,"  I  said.  "  Arrange 
it  if  you  can." 

Then  we  walked  through  the  iron  gate  and  out  into 
the  courtyard,  and  there  we  rang  the  door-bell,  and  soon 
his  black  beautiful  Csesar  came  round,  and  he  mounted 
and  rode  away.  And  his  figure  is  a  very  pleasing  thing 
to  watch  retreating  from  view  on  a  horse  —  so  lithe 
and  strong  and  spare. 

And  now  I  am  sitting  up  in  my  turret  room,  and 
Petrov  is  purring  upon  my  knee. 

Petrov,  what  do  you  think  of  this  Sir  Hugh  Dre- 
mont?—  Is  he  a  man  as  Humphrey  says  they  all  are 
—  just  using  his  clever  wits  to  beguile  your  simple  mis- 
tress —  for  a  pastime  for  himself?  —  or  is  there  some- 
thing more  in  his  interest?  —  But  in  all  cases  we  must 
not  grow  to  care  too  much  which  it  is.  Must  we,  my 
cat? 


CHAPTER  VIH 

X  HEARD  from  Letitia  a  day  or  two  afterward, 
from  her  place  in  Cheshire.  They  had  had 
quite  a  nice  drive  as  far  as  Teraplehurst  in 
the  motor,  and  she  expected  I  had  not  been 
bored  either!  She  felt  I  deserved  a  little  pleasure, 
which  she  hoped  she  had  secured  for  me. 

"  I  must  tell  you  one  thing,  Guinevere,"  she  wrote. 
"  I  have  known  Hugh  Dremont  for  ten  years,  and  I 
have  never  known  him  to  bother  himself  before  about 
inspecting  the  drainage  of  other  people's  stables.  You 
can  make  what  inference  you  please  from  this !  " 

1  tried  not  to  feel  too  much  pleasure  as  I  read.  I 
have  made  up  my  mind  I  must  go  no  further  with  our 
very  agreeable  friendship,  and  I  have  taken  to  looking 
out  of  the  north  window  instead  of  the  east  —  from  it 
one  only  gets  obliquely  any  reminder  of  Minton  Dre- 
mont. 

I  believe  Sir  Hugh  is  in  London  —  we  have  heard 
nothing  of  him,  and  a  week  has  gone  by.  It  is  the 
tenth  of  May.  The  spring  has  been  unusually  fine  and 
warm  until  the  last  days.  I  have  got  an  interesting 
new  book  upon  Florence,  and  the  spirit  of  the  great 
Medici  time,  and  I  have  been  deep  in  it  since  it  came. 
I  like  to  read  three  or  four  upon  the  same  subject,  one 
after  the  other,  and  compare  them  and  make  my  own 
deductions  from  all.  If  I  could  have  seen  Italy  as  I 
wished  instead  of  being  rushed  through  all  the  interest- 
ing things,  and  never  allowed  to  stop  when  the  hotels 

73 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

happened  to  be  bad,  I  would  have  loved  it  so.  As  it 
was,  even,  it  said  wonderful  things  to  me.  Sir  Hugh 
knows  it  so  well;  the  next  time  I  see  him  we  must  ex- 
change more  views  about  it. 

As  I  was  writing,  the  afternoon  post  came  in,  and 
there  is  a  letter  from  him  from  London.  Just  a  very 
stiff  note.  He  will  be  returning  in  a  day  or  two,  and 
his  sister  and  her  little  girl  and  boy  will  be  with  him. 
He  would  be  so  delighted  if  Humphrey  and  I  and  Al- 
gernon would  come  and  meet  them  at  luncheon  on  Fri- 
day. I  hope  my  husband  will  accept. 

I  am  glad  this  place  is  so  isolated,  and  the  few  neigh- 
bors who  are  of  the  old  set,  and  friends  of  Humphrey's, 
are  rather  far  away.  I  believe  I  have  so  grown  out  of 
the  habit  of  people  coming  to  see  me  often,  in  these  last 
years,  that  I  should  find  it  very  tiresome  if  they 
dropped  in.  They  all  think  of  nothing  but  hunting  and 
golf,  and  are  plainly  bored  if  one  speaks  of  another  sub- 
ject. 

Humphrey  has  had  a  threatening  of  gout  the  last 
three  days,  and  his  temper  has  been  perfectly  awful. 
Both  footmen  are  leaving,  in  spite  of  Hartington's  good 
sense  and  tact.  It  has  seemed  that  this  little  room  is 
the  only  place  I  can  get  away  from  the  noise  of  Hum- 
phrey's swearing.  It  has  poured,  too,  and  we  could 
not  go  out  —  and  even  Algernon,  who  does  not  care  for 
this  part  of  the  house  at  all,  has  crept  up  with  me  after 
lunch  for  safety.  He  is  very  restless,  and  knocks  over 
my  books  and  anything  he  can,  but  I  love  to  have  him ; 
and  we  have  had  some  talks  and  been  very  friendly, 
though  his  natural  point  of  view  is  so  diametrically  op- 
posed to  mine  upon  most  subjects,  it  is  often  difficult. 
But  about  cricket  I  listen  for  hours.  He  only  really 
cares  to  speak  of  things  that  he  knows  of — and  I  do  not. 

74 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

"  I  wonder  why  father  has  such  a  beastly  temper,'* 
he  said  just  now.  "  It  is  sickening,  isn't  it,  mum?  " 

And  I  told  him  it  was  pTobably  because  Humphrey 
had  never  tried  to  control  it  when  he  was  young.  But 
I  so  dislike  drawing  morals  —  my  only  way  is  to  ex- 
plain the  law  of  cause  and  effect  to  him,  about  abstract 
things,  and  leave  the  deductions  to  his  own  intelligence. 
He  is  a  character  almost  impossible  to  influence. 
Strongly  passionate,  and  yet  impervious  to  anything 
tender.  He  is  so  handsome,  even  at  thirteen  he  gives 
promise  of  being  a  glorious-looking  man.  Women  are 
sure  to  spoil  him,  and  he  is  sure  to  make  any  of  them 
who  love  him  very  unhappy. 


I  did  not  dare  to  give  Sir  Hugh's  note  to  Humphrey 
until  after  dinner,  when  he  was  in  a  less  disagreeable 
mood. 

"  It  will  quite  depend  how  I  feel,"  he  said.  "  I'll 
answer  the  letter  myself.  Dremont  is  a  sensible  man, 
and  will  understand."  That  it  would  give  Algernon 
and  me  pleasure  to  go,  whether  he  did  or  not,  was  an 
aspect  of  the  case  which  would  not  be  likely  to  present 
itself  to  him. 

Indeed,  until  Friday  morning  came  I  was  not  aware 
what  he  intended  to  do. 

Then  he  decided  he  would  go  —  so  the  brougham  was 
ordered.  His  foot  is  still  in  too  precarious  a  state  to 
climb  into  the  phaeton. 

Sir  Hugh  met  us  in  the  hall  at  Minton  Dremont,  and 
was  so  sympathetic  about  the  gout,  and  so  glad  we  had? 
come. 

"  My  sister  is  most  anxious  to  renew  her  acquaint- 
ance with  you,  my  dear  General,"  he  said.  "  She  says 
6  'Z5 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

you  were  a  great  friend  of  hers  when  you  were  quar- 
tered at  York  twenty  years  ago.  She  was  a  girl  then, 
and  used  to  stay  with  my  grandmother,  Lady  Wynlake, 
near  there." 

"  Of  course  I  remember  her !  "  Humphrey  returned, 
delighted,  and  we  went  on  into  a  morning-room  with  its 
fresh  chintzes  and  a  delicious  southern  aspect.  None 
of  the  rooms  are  gloomy  here. 

Lady  Morvaine  rose  to  greet  us.  She  is  so  sweet- 
looking,  rather  like  Sir  Hugh,  though  a  few  years  older, 
and  not  the  least  like  any  of  his  race-party  friends. 
She  was  genial  and  gracious,  and  made  everything 
smooth  and  pleasant,  and  Algernon  and  the  boy  and 
girl  were  presented  to  each  other,  and  we  all  went  in  to 
luncheon. 

It  felt  so  peaceful  to  know  we  should  have  one  meal 
at  least  without  an  explosion  falling  upon  the  head  of 
some  luckless  servant.  No  stranger  could  believe  that 
the  gallant,  handsome  General  Bohun  of  society  could 
be  the  same  as  the  one  his  wife  and  son  know. 

Algernon  has  not  a  sense  of  humor,  or  we  could  often 
comfort  ourselves  with  the  comic  aspect  of  things. 

The  Morvaine  boy,  Lord  Burbridge,  is  already  at 
Eton,  but  home  just  now  to  recover  from  a  broken  arm, 
so  he  and  Algernon  got  on  to  interesting  topics,  and 
one  could  see  intended  to  spend  an  agreeable  afternoon 
together. 

Lord  Burbridge  knew  of  a  most  enchanting  spot  at 
the  home  farm  where  some  old  piggeries  were  being 
pulled  down,  and  which  would  yield  a  fine  harvest  of 
rats  —  if  "  Uncle  Hugh  "  would  let  them  have  Higgs 
and  one  of  the  terriers. 

"  Oh !  if  I'd  only  brought  Pip  and  Snack !  "  I  heard 
my  son  say  with  regretful  enthusiasm;  and  Sir  Hugh 

76 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

offered  at  once  to  send  the  motor  for  these  talented  ani- 
mals, while  two  pairs  of  sparkling  eyes  turned  to  him 
in  gratitude,  and  the  little  Lady  Adela  Carnoly  looked 
pitifully  longing  to  be  allowed  also  to  participate  in 
this  coming  joy. 

"  You'll  let  her  go  —  won't  you,  Lady  Morvaine?  " 
Humphrey  pleaded.  "  A  good  sporting  instinct  ought 
to  be  encouraged  in  girls  —  makes  'em  less  fanciful  and 
squeamish.  My  wife  there  would  be  twice  the  woman  she 
is  if  she  had  been  knocked  about  by  half  a  dozen 
brothers." 

And  at  this  Sir  Hugh's  glance  met  mine,  and  it  con- 
tained such  kind  understanding. 

We  all  left  the  dining-room  together,  and  drank  our 
coffee  in  the  saloon,  while  the  children  rushed  off  to 
their  enthralling  sport,  and  then  our  host  said : 

"  If  you  don't  feel  equal  to  a  prowl,  General,  will 
you  stay  and  keep  my  sister  company  for  a  while?  I 
am  so  anxious  to  show  Mrs.  Bohun  my  gardens." 

Lady  Morvaine  most  graciously  seconded  this  ar- 
rangement, flattering  Humphrey  with  sentences  con- 
stantly beginning,  "  Do  you  remember  "  this  or  that? 
The  rain  had  ceased  the  day  before,  and  everything 
was  green  and  beautiful,  and  the  spring  flowers  were  in 
masses  of  the  greatest  perfection.  The  borders  a  glory 
of  May-tulips  and  wallflowers  and  irises  and  forget-me- 
nots,  and  all  sorts  of  other  things  coming  into  bloom. 

Oh !  it  gave  me  so  much  pleasure  to  wander  along  the 
paths  with  Sir  Hugh.  Nothing  could  be  more  beauti- 
ful than  the  way  the  whole  thing  is  laid  out,  or  the 
natural  formation  of  the  ground,  or  the  view.  He  was 
so  charming,  too  —  quite  a  new  side  of  himself  he 
showed  me.  A  side  which  soothed  and  comforted  me, 
and  made  me  feel  at  peace.  He  really  knows  all  about 

77 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

gardens,  and  is  interested  in  them,  and  we  talked  of 
our  favorite  plants  and  flowers,  and  what  they  meant 
to  us. 

"  It  does  seem  so  awful,"  he  said,  as  we  sat  down  on 
a  bench  under  a  pergola  of  coming  ramblers,  "  that  you 
should  not  have  entire  control  of  your  lovely  old-walled 
plaisance.  It  could  be  such  an  interest  to  you,  and 
with  your  exquisite  taste  you  could  make  it  unique  — 
it  is  so  old.  " 

"  Yes,"  I  agreed,  "  but  there  is  no  use  thinking  of 
that,  I  may  not  have  those  joys.  Perhaps  I  shall  be 
able  to  get  a  little  pleasure  out  of  it,  even  so.  A  very 
old  garden  does  not  depress  me  as  a  very  old  house 
does  —  there  in  the  open  air  the  currents  cannot  affect 
one  so  much.  Up  in  my  rooms  sometimes  the  oppres- 
sion of  the  spirits  of  all  those  sad  people  who  have  gone 
before  almost  overcomes  me.  I  know  it  is  very  foolish 
of  me,  but  at  night  once  or  twice  I  have  been  — 
afraid  — " 

Sir  Hugh  was  leaning  upon  the  back  of  the  bench, 
sitting  sideways,  so  that  he  looked  right  into  my  face, 
very  near,  and  I  could  see  every  transient  expression 
in  his  deep-set  eyes.  A  fierce  light  came  into  them. 

"  I  can't  bear  to  think  of  it,"  he  said,  clenching  his 
hand.  "  How  can  the  General  allow  you  to  be  all  alone 
in  that  grim  suite!  If  you  were  ill  in  the  night,  whom 
could  you  call?  " 

"  I  could  ring  for  my  maid,  right  in  the  servants' 
wing  —  she  would  come  after  a  while  — " 

He  looked  disturbed  and  troubled. 

"  Is  there  no  other  place  you  could  have?  "  he  asked. 

"  No  other  where  I  would  be  in  —  peace." 

"  Of  course  we  cannot  talk  about  things,"  Sir  Hugh 
went  on.  "  I  mean  in  words  —  but  I  want  you  to  know 

78 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

that  I  absolutely  understand,  and  oh!  my  dear  little 
pale  lady,  I  would  do  anything  in  the  world  for  you." 

*'  Thank  you  —  that  makes  me  happy  to  feel  that," 
and  then  I  changed  the  topic.  I  asked  him  if  he  did 
think  I  would  have  been  better  if  I  had  been  knocked 
about  by  brothers  —  if  it  was  that  perhaps  which  made 
me  seem  so  unsatisfactory  to  Humphrey.  "  I  had  one 
brother,  you  know,"  I  told  him.  "  He  died  —  when  I 
was  fourteen.  But  I  was  so  delicate  as  a  little  girl,  he 
was  always  very  tender  and  kind  to  me.  Bob  was  his 
name  —  Bob  Ferrers.  He  was  in  the  Eton  Eleven,  and 
might  have  been  captain  if  he  had  lived." 

"  Bob  Ferrers !  "  cried  Sir  Hugh.  "  Why,  he  was 
there  with  me  in  the  same  house  —  one  of  my  dearest 
friends.  And  he  was  your  brother!  To  think  I  never 
knew  that  !  And  I  have  known  Lady  Langthorpe  for 
quite  ten  years,  but  I  never  connected  her  with  him. 
How  stupid  one  is  —  if  one  is  not  specially  interested." 

"  I  loved  Bob  very  much,"  I  said.  "  He  and  I  were 
such  chums  after  my  mother  died  and  Letitia  married. 
You  cannot  think  what  dreadful  grief  it  was  to  lose 
him ;  I  did  not  really  care  what  happened  then  — " 

"  Oh !  you  poor  little  lonely  child !  "  he  whispered 
gently.  "  And  at  sixteen  you  were  married  off  to  the 
General.  It  was  a  crime.  How  could  you  know  your 
own  mind  at  that  age !  " 

I  did  not  say  my  mind  had  not  been  consulted.  I 
just  looked  away  over  the  beautiful  scene. 

"  It  is  such  a  very  strange  thing,"  he  went  on,  "  how 
fond  Fate  seems  of  throwing  the  wrong  people  into 
bonds,  and  letting  the  right  people  meet  —  too  late." 

"  Perhaps  girls  do  not  have  much  opportunity  of 
meeting  the  really  nice  men,"  I  suggested.  "  They 
never  seem  to  want  to  talk  to  them  or  find  out  if  they 

79 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

would  be  agreeable  women  some  day  —  so  I  suppose 
the  girls  just  drift  into  marriage  with  some  callow 
youth,  or  elderly  man  —  and  often  the  nice  men  then 
are  caught  by  impossible  thistledowns  who  make  them 
pay  for  all  the  hearts  they  have  caused  to  ache." 

"  I  cannot  think  of  a  greater  hell  on  earth,"  Sir 
Hugh  said  fervently,  "  than  to  be  married  to  some 
empty-headed  miss  who  would  not  understand  a  word 
one  said  to  her.  It  could  be  an  awful  tie,  marriage  — 
or  an  exquisite  bliss  —  if  the  woman  was  loving  and 
kind  and  true,  and  sympathized  with  one's  real  tastes." 

"  Yes,"  I  answered,  "  that  sounds  ideal.  I  am  per- 
haps very  unorthodox  in  saying  that  I  think  it  is  hard 
that  the  tie  must  go  on  forever  until  death  do  them 
part  —  or  be  broken  by  disgrace.  Surely,  if  people 
have  borne  it  bravely  for  ten  years,  say,  they  might  be 
allowed  to  go  free  after  that  without  any  scandal." 

"  It  is  a  difficult  question  —  some  solution  will  be 
evolved  some  day,  I  suppose,  to  level  things.  Mean- 
while, here  we  are !  "  and  Sir  Hugh  sighed. 

"  My  sister  Letitia  has  all  sorts  of  common-sense 
views  upon  life.  Have  you  ever  talked  to  her  about 
them?  "  I  asked. 

"  I  do  not  know  that  I  have,  but  I  expect  she  holds 
the  same  we  all  do.  There  is  far  too  much  altruistic 
nonsense  preached  by  the  hypocrites.  Human  nature 
will  out." 

"  Yes  —  I  fear  so,"  I  agreed. 

He  looked  at  me  strangely  —  then  he  said  with 
gravity: 

"  I  wonder  so  much  if  you  will  ever  let  the  real  you 
live.  I  wonder  if  some  day  the  barriers  will  be  burst 
that  hold  that  beautiful  soul  in  check." 

I  felt  troubled     *'  Do  not  speculate  so,  Sir  Hugh. 
80 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

It  frightens  me,  and  I  am  trying  to  live  my  life."  Then 
I  got  up  from  the  seat  and  cried,  "  Oh !  it  is  the  happy 
spring-time.  Let  us  go  out  in  the  sun  and  try  to  be 
young  like  the  season,  and  laugh  and  not  look  ahead !  " 

"  Yes,  you  are  wise,"  he  answered.  "  Forgive  me  — 
I  was  growing  into  a  bore.  But  you  have  the  extraor- 
dinary quality  of  making  me  feel  that  the  only  thing 
which  matters  is  to  get  at  all  your  thoughts  and  feel- 
ings. I  have  an  intense  desire  to  be  near  you  —  I 
meant  to  stay  in  London  until  Whitsuntide,  but  I  could 
not ;  it  was  like  some  magnet  drawing  me  back  here.  So 
I  made  Adelaide  come  down  with  me,  and  arranged  to- 
day, just  for  this  hour  alone  with  you  under  the  sky." 

I  trembled  all  over.  What  did  this  mean?  Oh!  I 
could  not  think  or  listen  —  my  only  course  was  to  di- 
vert it  lightly  aside  and  keep  to  the  role  of  the  gaiety 
of  the  spring-time.  So  I  turned  a  smiling  face  to  him 
and  walked  on  quickly. 

,  "I  am  just  a  country  neighbor,  Sir  Hugh!  You 
must  be  careful,  or  all  these  nice  things  that  you  are 
saying  will  go  to  my  head !  " 

He  strode  beside  me  —  and  he  frowned. 

"  I  cannot  bear  you  to  talk  like  that,"  he  announced. 
"  It  is  not  the  least  natural  to  you,  and  you  know  it. 
You  also  know  that  they  are  not  '  nice  things '  I  have 
been  saying,  but  the  truth  wrenched  from  my  heart." 

"  Then  you  must  not  voice  them,"  I  said.  "  Now 
you  have  spoilt  my  happy  walk.  Let  us  go  back  to  the 
house." 

But  he  stopped  suddenly  and  put  his  hand  on  my 
arm. 

"  No,  please  —  not  that.  Forgive  me  —  I  will  in- 
deed try  to  be  more  controlled.  I  have  calculated  that 
my  sister  will  keep  the  General  interested  for  quite  an 

81 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

hour  —  then  she  was  going  to  propose  showing  him  the 
new  peach-houses,  so  we  have  at  least  half  an  hour  more 
to  ourselves.  Tell  me  that  I  can  make  you  happy  for 
that  little  time." 

I  thought  to  myself  that  it  would  not  be  difficult  for 
him  to  make  any  woman  happy  —  for  all  her  life,  but  I 
only  said  aloud: 

"  Show  me  some  other  of  your  haunts,  then." 

We  strolled  on  to  a  very  tall  hedge  of  clipped  yew, 
and  through  a  wrought-iron  gate  in  it  with  a  screen  of 
yew  planted  inside,  cut  into  a  weird  shape.  He  took  a 
key  from  his  pocket  and  unlocked  the  gate,  and  held  it 
while  I  passed  through,  and  found  myself,  when  I  got 
behind  the  screen,  in  a  garden  entirely  surrounded  on 
three  sides  by  the  yews,  except  in  the  middle  of  the  end 
one,  where  they  are  cut  into  two  hooded  niches  showing 
the  most  divine  view  between  with  a  raised  marble  bal- 
ustrade and  curved  seats.  The  ground  beyond  slopes 
away  beneath,  and  has  been  artificially  lowered,  so  that 
the  outlook  seems  to  be  perched  above  the  world,  on  a 
level  with  the  tree-tops  of  the  vast  park.  Down  stone 
steps  at  the  right-hand  side  of  one  bower,  almost  con- 
cealed in  the  yews,  there  is  a  small  door  which  opens,  I 
imagine,  into  the  park.  The  fourth  side  of  the  garden 
is  filled  in  by  a  wing  of  the  house  —  its  tall,  narrow 
windows  opening  on  to  a  terrace  of  marble. 

"  This  is  my  own  particular  part  of  my  abode,"  Sir 
Hugh  said.  "  Those  windows  are  my  sitting-room,  and 
a  private  staircase  goes  up  to  my  bedroom  above." 

"  How  enchanting !  "  I  exclaimed.  "  To  be  all  alone 
where  no  one  can  get  to  you  unless  you  wish!  By  the 
sun,  the  aspect  must  be  due  west.  Is  this  the  roof  I 
can  just  see  when  I  look  east  from  my  turret  chamber, 
then?" 

82 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

"  Yes,  and  every  morning  I  look  out,  and  know  that 
beyond  the  trees  there  is  a  lady  in  a  Moated  Grange 
whom  I  would  like  to  fly  to." 

We  walked  up  the  beautiful  green  lawn  to  the  marble 
terrace,  where  there  were  comfortable  cushioned  chairs. 
Here  he  paused  and  spoke: 

"  Come  in  and  see  my  sitting-room,  and  tell  me  what 
you  think  of  it."  And  he  held  back  the  curtain  for  me 
to  pass. 

"  Ah !  this  is  perfect !  "  I  could  not  help  exclaiming, 
when  we  got  inside. 

It  is  a  very  tall  room,  most  beautifully  panelled,  and 
with  low  book-cases  running  all  round,  and  a  few  good 
pictures  above  —  Dutch  interiors  and  Van  der  Veldes 
mostly.  Everything  is  restful,  from  the  huge  green 
leather  chairs  to  the  soft  tone  of  the  russet  silk  cur- 
tains —  restful  and  rich  and  refined.  There  are  no 
knick-knacks  about,  but  a  few  exquisite  bronzes.  It  is 
eminently  a  man's  room,  though  there  are  no  antlers  or 
guns  or  swords,  such  as  Humphrey  likes  to  surround 
himself  with.  These  trophies  of  the  chase  we  discov- 
ered in  an  ante-room  beyond,  devoted  to  all  sorts  of 
sporting  mementoes. 

"  It  is  quite  perfect,"  I  said  again  when  we  returned. 

"  Will  you  stand  still  like  that  —  there  by  the  win- 
dow for  a  moment,"  Sir  Hugh  pleaded,  "  and  let  me 
take  a  snapshot  of  you  with  the  light  coming  down  on 
your  hair?  I  have  a  wonderful  camera  for  interiors, 
and  if  you  would  remove  that  hat  you  would  be  a  sweet 
lady." 

I  laughed.  "  What  a  schoolboy  you  are,  after  all, 
Sir  Hugh!  wanting  to  take  photographs  at  once!" 
But  I  unpinned  my  felt  sombrero  and  put  it  on  a 
table. 


GUINEVERE'S    LOVER 

'*  And  the  coat,  too  ?"  he  demanded,  helping  me  to 
pull  it  off.  "  Now  you  are  —  homelike.  I  want  a  pic- 
ture of  you  that  I  can  look  at  with  the  background  of 
my  own  room  —  it  will  comfort  me  in  moments  when  I 
am  hungry  —  and  help  me  to  visualize  a  dream  of  what 
it  would  be  like,  if  you  were  here  always." 

I  could  not  speak  —  a  sudden  exquisite  joy  silenced 
words,  and  for  a  while  the  reaction  of  pain  did  not 
set  in. 

He  quickly  got  his  camera  and  took  a  number  of 
pictures  in  different  positions,  then  he  put  in  another 
set  of  plates  and  asked  me  to  sit  in  a  big  chair  and 
take  a  book. 

"  I  want  to  pretend  we  need  not  hurry,  and  that  you 
are  resting  and  reading  for  as  long  as  you  like." 

He  attended  strictly  to  his  business,  as  photographic 
artist,  until  this  set,  too,  was  complete,  and  then  he 
came  over  to  the  chair,  and,  taking  my  hand,  he  kissed 
it  with  homage. 

"  Thank  you,  sweet  Mistress  Guinevere,"  he  said. 

I  cannot  tell  of  the  new  feelings  which  were  rushing 
through  me  —  of  happiness  and  pleasure  and  content- 
ment and  —  at  last  —  sorrow.  A  cloud  came  over  the 
afternoon  sun,  and  I  shivered.  I  do  not  know  why. 
Then  I  looked  up  at  him  standing  there  so  tall  and 
fine. 

"  Sir  Hugh,  please  —  we  must  return  to  the  others 
now,"  I  faltered  in  a  half  voice.  "  And  oh !  please  — 
you  must  go  back  to  London  —  soon." 

"  Darling ! "  he  whispered  and  started  forward 
nearer  to  me,  and  then  he  pulled  himself  together,  and 
without  speaking  further  helped  me  on  with  my  coat. 
But  both  of  us  were  trembling  —  and  we  did  not  say  a 
;word  more  until  we  were  back  beyond  the  wrought-iron 

84 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

gates  again,  when  he  turned  to  me  and  whispered,  in  a 

hoarse,  strangled  voice: 

"  What  you  ask  is  hard  —  but  I  will  go." 

And  so  we  came  to  the  morning-room  windows  and 

saw  the  sardonic  face  of  Humphrey. 


CHAPTER  IX 
JUNE,  1905 

OH!  the  days  that  pass!     The  same  thing  al- 
ways:   the  same  duties,  the  same  afternoon 
drives,  the  same  meals  with  their  jarred  con- 
versation, the  same  evenings,  throbbing  my 
heart  out  at  the  piano  while  my  husband  dozes  in  his 
chair!     I  have  tried  so  hard  to  discipline  myself.      I 
have  taken  a  whole  course  of  stiff  reading,  and  I  have 
played  tennis  for  hours  with  Algernon. 

We  have  entertained  the  neighbors,  too,  at  a  cere- 
monious dinner  party,  and  some  of  Humphrey's  old 
friends  have  been  asked  on  two  separate  Saturdays  to 
Mondays.  But  a  blank  weariness  is  over  everything, 
alternating  with  fits  of  meaningless  excitement,  and  I 
cannot  shake  it  off.  I  do  not  allow  myself  to  look 
much  from  the  east  window,  though  I  know  the  flag  of 
the  Dremonts  has  never  waved  from  over  the  trees  all 
this  time.  But  Humphrey  heard  at  the  bench  on  Sat- 
urday that  a  large  party  was  coming  for  Whitsuntide, 
which  falls  late  this  year.  I  suppose  they  will  be  of 
the  same  set  as  the  race-week  one,  but  my  siste-r  Letitia 
will  be  among  them.  She  has  written  to  me  several 
times  with  accounts  of  her  doings.  She  has  often  met 
Sir  Hugh,  it  appears,  who  has  taken  to  going  out  again 
and  is  seen  at  all  the  great  houses. 

I  wonder  if  I  should  like  a  real  season  in  London. 
Not  that  I  am  ever  likely  to  have  one  now ;  Humphrey 

86 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

says  his  London  days  are  over,  and  he  means  to  remain 
always  at  Redwood  Moat.  But  next  year  I  shall  have 
to  go  to  a  Court  again  —  he  likes  me  to  do  everything 
that  is  correct.  He  himself  is  settling  down  into  quite 
a  country  gentleman,  and  his  temper  has  been  rather 
better  since  that  last  attack  of  gout.  It  came  out,  and 
he  was  really  ill  for  a  week  after  we  lunched  at  Minton 
Dremont  —  and  so  the  worst  was  over. 

There  is  such  a  strange  side  of  him  which  this  place 
seems  to  have  awakened.  He  is  actually  jealous  of 
everything  about  it,  and  unconsciously  resents  my  tak- 
ing any  practical  interest  in  it.  It  has  come  to  such  a 
pass  that  I  dare  not  remark  upon  anything,  and  am 
gradually  growing  to  be  a  sort  of  visitor  in  the  house; 
no  one  knowing  our  daily  lives  could  possibly  imagine 
I  am  the  mistress  of  it. 

Algernon  is  having  a  tutor  now  until  he  goes  to  Eton 
in  the  autumn  —  a  young  man  who  lodges  in  the  town 
and  comes  out  every  day,  so  that  I  see  very  little  of  my 
son  except  on  Sundays. 

The  melancholy  of  my  rooms  is  in  tune  with  my 
thoughts,  and  I  no  longer  want  to  move  from  them.  It 
is  all  too  ridiculous,  though.  I  dislike  melancholy  peo- 
ple to  meet,  and  despise  those  who  give  way  to  brood- 
ing. Sir  Hugh  has  probably  forgotten  his  momentary 
emotion  by  now,  and  at  all  events  he  has  the  consola- 
tion of  great  divertisement. 

The  guests  at  Minton  Dremont  arrive  on  Saturday, 
the  day  after  to-morrow,  and  just  now  Humphrey  came 
out  here  in  the  garden  where  I  am  sitting,  a  letter  in 
his  hand. 

"  From  Hugh  Dremont,"  he  said,  "  concerning  the 
keeper  I  wrote  to  him  about.  At  the  end  he  sends 
apologies  to  you  for  not  writing  his  invitation  to  you, 

87 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

and  asks  if  we  will  dine  on  Tuesday.  Jack  Kaird  will 
be  with  him,  and  he  thinks  I'd  like  to  see  him  again ;  so 
I  would  —  dear  old  Jack !  " 

*'  Yes,  that  will  be  nice,  to  see  Sir  John  again,"  I 
agreed.  "  The  dear  old  man !  And  he  will  be  pleased 
to  see  his  godson."  Sir  John  is  Algernon's  god- 
father. 

"  Then  you  can  answer  the  note  —  my  hand  is  stiff 
to-day.  Thank  him  about  the  keeper,  and  say  we  ac- 
cept." 

"  Where  must  I  address  the  letter  ?  "  I  asked. 

He  looked  at  the  paper  and  found  it  was  written 
from  the  Turf  Club.  "  Send  it  there,"  he  returned. 

I  went  back  into  the  house  and  up  to  my  little  room, 
and  then  wrote  a  stiff  reply,  which  on  my  return  to  the 
garden  I  was  placing  in  the  bag  when  Humphrey 
crossed  the  hall. 

"  What  did  you  say  ?  —  show  me,"  he  asked.  "  I 
did  not  tell  you  plain  enough  about  Hedson,  the  keeper, 
I  think." 

I  handed  him  my  letter,  and  he  broke  open  the  en- 
velope. How  fortunate  that  the  acceptance  was  not 
couched  in  more  expansive  language ! 

"  You  are  extraordinarily  stiff,  Guinevere,"  my  hus- 
band remarked.  "  Sir  Hugh  has  been  very  civil  to  you, 
considering,  as  your  sister  told  me,  how  wrapped  up  he 
is  in  that  Mrs.  Dalison  —  and  even  though  it  is  only 
for  my  sake  he  has  been  nice,  you  need  not  be  so  chilly." 

"  Surely  that  will  do,"  I  answered ;  "  I  cannot  be 
bothered  writing  it  over  again."  And  I  went  to  the 
table  and  addressed  a  new  envelope,  and  once  more  put 
the  letter  in  the  bag. 

Humphrey  looked  at  me. 

'*  You  are  certainly  the  most  uninteresting  iceberg 
88 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

I've  ever  met,"  he  announced.  "  It  is  remarkable  to  me 
how  any  man  could  bother  with  you." 

Once  upon  a  time  this  very  rude  speech  would  have 
hurt  me,  but  now  I  seem  absolutely  indifferent  to  every- 
thing any  one  says  —  it  just  sounded  so  many  words, 
that  is  all. 

I  am  excited,  with  a  sick  sense  of  excitement  which 

I  cannot  control.    I  own  it  to  myself. 

*  *  *  *  * 

I  got  a  note  sent  over  from  Letitia  on  Sunday 
morning,  saying  she  would  come  and  see  me  after 
church.  Sir  Hugh  does  all  of  his  country  duties  well, 
so  he  would  probably  go  to  church  —  and  some  of  his 
guests  would  be  sure  to  accompany  him.  They  did  — 
the  Duchess  and  Lady  Marjoribanks,  and  two  otKers, 
but  not  Mrs.  Dalison.  I  was  glad  of  that.  Perhaps 
she  is  not  there  this  time. 

He  was  sitting  where  I  could  not  see  anything  but 
the  back  of  his  head,  and  that  gave  me  a  strange  thrill. 
How  foolish  I  am ! 

The  party  came  up  to  talk  to  us  on  the  path  when 
we  came  out,  and  Letitia  linked  her  arm  in  mine  and 
drew  me  on  ahead.  But  at  the  gate  Sir  Hugh  overtook 
us  again,  and  said  if  we  would  take  my  sister,  he  would 
accompany  the  other  ladies  back,  and  then  come  and 
fetch  her  in  the  motor.  They  were  not  going  to  lunch 
until  quarter  to  two,  so  there  would  be  plenty  of  time. 

His  manner  was  perfectly  cool  and  casual  to  me;  he 
seemed  to  have  completely  recovered  from  any  emotion 
he  may  have  felt.  I  have  some  pride,  at  all  events,  and 
it  took  fire  immediately,  so  that  I  was  able  to  be  quite 
friendly  and  casual,  too,  and  even  Letitia  could  not  dis- 
cover anything  as  she  glanced  at  us  with  the  corner  of 
her  eve. 

89 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

*'  You  look  extremely  attractive,  Guinevere,  you 
know,"  she  told  me  after  we  had  talked  some  while  up 
in  my  turret-room.  "  You  seem  to  have  got  some  bet- 
ter clothes  than  usual.  But  you  are  awfully  pale,  dear, 
as  white  as  a  Carl  Drushki  rose,  which  is  just  what  you 
remind  me  of  —  like  the  one  in  your  belt.  And  how 
goes  everything?  And  you  have  never  let  me  hear  how 
you  got  on  with  Hugh  Dremont  that  afternoon  I  left 
you  alone  together." 

"  We  got  on  quite  well,"  I  said,  sitting  down  in  the 
northern  window-seat.  "  He  is  very  nice,  isn't  he?  " 

"  Yes,"  answered  Letitia,  looking  at  me  hard.  "  But 
when  he  manoeuvres  to  spend  hours  with  a  woman  —  he 
asked  me  to  take  Humphrey  and  Algernon  off,  you 
know  —  he  generally  makes  more  impression  upon  her 
than  he  seems  to  have  done  upon  you.  Did  you  snub 
him  frightfully?  Something  must  have  occurred  to 
drive  him  up  to  London ;  he  has  not  been  there  for  three 
weeks  on  end  like  this,  now,  for  more  than  two  years." 

"  We  lunched  with  him  when  his  sister  was  down 
here;  he  seemed  quite  pleasant  and  agreeable  then.  I 
think  you  weave  meanings  into  things,  Letitia,"  I  said. 

But  she  shook  her  head. 

"  It  all  seems  to  me  very  strange.     Perhaps  seeing 
your  domestic  bliss  with  Humphrey  has  inspired  him 
with  the  idea  of  marrying.     He  is  quite  finished  with 
Mrs.   Dalison,   and  has  not   selected  any   one  else  — 
though  Winnie  Latrobe  was  sure  her  turn  would  come." 

"  Oh,  it  really  is  too  silly  how  Sir  Hugh  seems  so 
important  to  you  all !  "  I  cried.  "  Why  can't  he  be 
left  in  peace  to  do  what  he  pleases,  without  being 
watched  and  speculated  about  all  the  time?  " 

"  My  dear  child,"  my  sister  said  wisely,  "  Sir  Hugh, 
besides  having  a  peculiar  personal  attraction,  is  colos- 

90 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

sally  rich,  and  possesses  the  nicest  house  for  our  ren* 
dez-vous  in  the  whole  of  England.  We  have  not  the 
slightest  intention  of  letting  him  marry  outside  our 
circle,  if  we  can  prevent  it.  Ada  was  talking  to  me 
about  it  only  last  night,  and  saying  if  he  seems  restless 
we  had  almost  better  encourage  him  to  look  at  the 
Duchess's  girl,  who  is  as  dull  as  an  owl,  and  keep  him 
in  the  family." 

"  Letitia,  have  you  all  no  sense  of  humor?  "  I  asked, 
and  made  myself  smile.  "  From  the  little  I  have  seen 
of  Sir  Hugh,  I  should  say  he  did  not  care  one  snap  for 
any  of  your  opinions  or  intentions  for  him,  and  was  a 
perfectly  independent  character." 

"  So  he  is ;  but  if  ten  or  twelve  women  who  are  his 
constant  companions  determine  upon  a  thing,  the  cur- 
rent is  too  strong  for  one  man  to  resist,  unless  he  is 
aware  they  are  plotting  and  so  on  his  guard  —  and  we 
have  all  been  so  awfully  clever,  poor  Hugh  has  not  an 
idea  that  sometimes  we  lead  him  by  the  nose !  " 

A  sensation  of  bitter  cynical  disgust  crept  over  me. 
Sir  Hugh  could  not  be  so  fine  as  I  thought  him  if  he 
could  not  see  through  these  ladies  who  are  his  friends. 

I  laughed  aloud,  and  I  hated  the  sound  of  my  own 
mirth  —  it  seemed  to  wither  the  whiteness  of  my  roses 
there  in  the  great  bowl.  They  were  the  first  ones  out, 
and  I  had  only  been  able  to  gather  a  few  of  them. 

"  I  suppose  Humphrey  would  not  let  you  come  and   , 
spend  a  week  with  me  in  town  ?  "  my  sister  asked.     "  I 
believe  it  would  do  you  good,  Guinevere." 

"  I  do  not  think  you  had  better  suggest  it,"  I  re- 
plied ;  "  not  yet,  at  any  rate.  Since  his  last  attack  of 
gout  he  has  been  extremely  difficult.  I  would  rather 
drone  on  —  now  that  the  warm  weather  has  come  — 
than  have  any  rows." 

7  91 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

Just  then  ray  maid  came  to  the  door  from  the  bed- 
room —  there  is  no  approach  for  men-servants  to  this 
room.  Parton  said  Hartington  had  just  sent  up  to 
say  Sir  Hugh  had  arrived  in  the  motor  for  Lady  Lang- 
thorpe,  and  would  we  descend. 

So  we  went  down  the  turret  stairs  and  found  him 
alone  in  the  drawing-room.  Humphrey  was  somewhere 
out  in  the  grounds,  it  appeared. 

"  Don't  you  think  my  sister  looks  very  pale,  Hugh?  " 
Letitia  asked  him  while  she  put  on  her  gloves.  "  I  do 
not  believe  this  place  suits  her.  All  that  water  under 
her  windows,  and  the  horrid  gloom  of  the  whole  thing. 
I  wish  we  had  her  with  us  at  Minton  Dremont  for  this 
Whitsuntide,  where  it  is  all  gay  and  bright." 

"  So  do  I,"  he  answered,  but  reservedly  and  without 
enthusiasm.  "  I  fear  the  General  would  not  consent, 
though,  and  would  not  himself  be  willing  to  come  out." 

"  We  are  very  well  here,"  I  said,  "  thank  you  both. 
I  am  growing  quite  accustomed  to  the  things  that 
seemed  dark  at  first  —  the  place  is  getting  to  suit  me." 

"  Or  you  it,"  retorted  Letitia,  "  which  is  the  aspect 
of  the  case  which  causes  me  concern.  But  I  suppose 
there  is  no  use  interfering  with  other  people  —  and  we 
must  be  off,  or  we  shall  be  late  for  lunch." 

Sir  Hugh  never  looked  at  me  —  he  seemed  anxious 
to  hurry  my  sister  into  the  motor  and  get  away.  Why 
he  came  at  all  for  her,  instead  of  just  sending  the  car, 
I  do  not  know. 

When  they  had  gone  an  icy  sense  of  loneliness  crept 
over  me,  so  that  I  held  Petrov  tight  in  my  arms  and 
caressed  him,  but  no  comfort  would  come  even  from  his 
velvet  fur  and  affectionate  j  oy. 

At  luncheon  I  forced  myself  to  talk  pleasantly,  and 
Algernon  unconsciously  helped  me  out  with  preco- 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

ciously  amusing  remarks  about  a  stout  neighbor  who 
had  been  in  church.  Humphrey  enjoys  obvious  jokes 
like  that.  Then,  afterwards,  I  went  into  the  garden 
and  made  myself  read  a  Life  of  Caterina  Sforza  which 
had  just  come  in  my  last  batch  of  books.  It  was  Kke 
a  tonic  for  me.  She  was  no  weakling,  Madonna  del 
Forli! 

The  Monday  passed  with  no  communication  from 
Minton  Dremont,  and  Tuesday  has  come.  It  is  such 
glorious  weather,  without  a  breath  of  wind,  that  the 
flag  —  on  the  staff  —  hardly  showed  over  the  trees 
when  I  looked  from  the  east  window  just  now.  It  has 
not  taken  the  master  of  it  long  to  forget  the  interest 
he  manifested  in  the  lady  of  Redwood  Moat.  It  is 
hardly  a  month  since  he  took  the  photographs  in  his 
sitting-room  and  called  me  —  darling  —  in  his  attrac- 
tive voice !  I  shook  myself,  and  a  feeling  of  furious  con- 
tempt with  myself  came  over  me.  Why  had  I  ever  been 
beguiled  into  friendliness  with  him,  a  man  accustomed 
to  the  scheming  adoration  and  incense  of  dozens  of 
women  ?  No  doubt,  when  he  felt  he  had  added  the  scalp 
of  this  poor  country  creature  to  his  belt,  he  troubled 
himself  no  more.  Well,  he  shall  see  to-night  that  I  am 
not  wearing  the  willow  for  him.  The  Ferrers  were  not 
cheap  people,  accustomed  to  show  their  hurts;  and 
though  I  have  been  a  cowed  prisoner  for  many  years, 
the  blood  of  my  race  still  flows  in  my  veins ! 

I  have  settled  which  frock  I  shall  wear  —  a  white 
and  silver  brocade  which  suits  me  —  and  I  shall  put  a 
bright  red  rose  at  one  side  of  my  dark  hair  —  a  co- 
quettish thing  I  am  quite  unaccustomed  to ;  and,  if  only 
it  will  stay,  there  is  a  pink  flush  in  my  cheeks  now,  as  I 
write  late  before  dressing. 

•  *  *  *  • 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

I  braved  Humphrey's  wrath  and  kept  him  waiting 
five  minutes  in  the  hall.  We  should  not  be  the  first  to 
arrive  this  time,  as  usual.  I  felt  so  sick  with  excite- 
ment that  I  actually  did  not  hear  the  words  of  his  re- 
proaches as  we  drove  along,  and  just  nodded  my  head 
when  I  thought  I  ought  to ;  and,  fortunately,  a  few  peo- 
ple were  in  the  drawing-room  when  we  were  announced, 
my  sister  among  them. 

Sir  Hugh  was  being  very  gay,  and  our  old  friend  Sir 
John  Kaird  came  up  and  chaffed  and  greeted  us  affec- 
tionately. He  had  arrived  in  the  afternoon,  and  was 
to  take  me  in  to  dinner,  it  was  arranged.  Some  of  the 
other  neighbors  were  dining,  too,  so  the  party  was  a 
large  one  —  only  the  Duchess  was  late  and  kept  every 
one  waiting,  to  Humphrey's  intense  disgust. 

I  was  placed  exactly  opposite  our  host,  and  the  low 
arrangement  of  the  flowers  would  have  allowed  me  to 
see  him  all  the  time  if  I  had  looked,  which  I  determined 
not  to  do.  There  were  four  round  tables,  of  ten  each. 
Ours  seemed  to  be  a  very  merry  one.  I  do  not  know 
what  spirit  possessed  me,  but  I  became  quite  another 
person  to  my  usual  self  —  full  of  repartee  with  Sir 
John  and  even  a  little  encouraging  to  the  young  man 
who  sat  on  the  other  side  of  me.  I  felt  my  cheeks  burn- 
ing and  my  heart  beating  until,  just  as  the  ices  were  be- 
ing removed,  I  met  Sir  Hugh's  eye,  and  it  was  full  of 
wrath  and  astonishment  —  and  pain ! 

Wrath  and  astonishment  would  have  pleased  me,  but 
what  could  the  pain  mean?  All  the  bravado  seemed  to 
die  out  of  me  suddenly;  a  laugh  to  my  neighbor  grew 
silent  on  my  lips,  and  I  was  so  glad  that  the  dinner 
was  almost  over  and  we  should  be  moving  to  the  other 
room. 

I  did  not  dare  to  glance  at  our  host,  and  eventually 
94 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

followed   Letitia's   blue   train   into   the   drawing-room 
without  again  having  looked  over  to  him. 

My  sister  endeavored  to  draw  me  into  the  circle  of 
her  intimates,  and  I  must  say  they  seemed  as  though 
they  were  trying  to  be  more  agreeable  to  me ;  but  what 
she  said,  or  I  said,  or  any  of  them  said,  is  all  a  blank 
to  me  now  as  I  look  back  over  the  gulf  that  has  sep- 
arated my  life  from  yesterday  evening. 

Sir  Hugh  always  has  some  musicians  down  for  these 
parties,  Letitia  told  me,  and  soon  they  began  to  play 
out  in  the  gallery  of  the  saloon,  and  we  went  in  there, 
and  the  men  joined  us.  The  young  man  —  Mr.  Anger- 
stein,  I  think  his  name  was  —  who  had  sat  next  me 
at  dinner  rushed  upon  me  from  the  throng,  and  his  at- 
titude was  empresse,  and  his  looks  much  interested  as 
he  sprawled  with  modern  unconcern  beside  me  on  the 
sofa.  And  once  more  I  caught  Sir  Hugh's  eyes  as 
he  stood  by  a  tall  screen,  making  politenesses  to 
Lady  Essenden,  and  now  all  the  other  emotions 
were  there  but  scorn  was  added  —  and  this  I  could 
not  bear. 

The  musicians  then  played  a  merry  two-step.  The 
servants  had  come  in  and  cleared  the  saloon  while  we 
were  at  dinner;  and  Mr.  Angerstein  asked  me  to  dance. 
So  we  started,  but  after  one  turn  we  were  stopped  by 
our  host.  Every  one  else  was  dancing,  except  Hum- 
phrey and  the  Duchess's  daughter  and  one  or  two  other 
people  who  had  gone  off  to  bridge. 

The  saloon  has  long  windows  opening  down  to  the 
ground,  and  when  Sir  Hugh  accosted  us  we  had  stopped 
by  one  of  them. 

"  You  go  on,  Jim,"  he  said  chaffingly,  "  and  take 
Miss  Joan,  who  is  looking  daggers  at  you,  I  want  a 
turn  with  Mrs.  Bohun  myself." 

95 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

And  the  young  man  had  to  relinquish  me  with  what 
grace  he  could. 

Miss  Joan  Moburn  is  Mr.  Angerstein's  fiancee,  it 


seems 


When  he  had  got  rid  of  him,  Sir  Hugh  did  not  sug- 
gest dancing;  on  the  contrary,  he  drew  me  out  of  the 
window  on  to  the  terrace,  and  then  in  at  another  in  the 
next  room,  from  which  he  opened  double  doors,  shut- 
ting them  after  us,  and  I  found  we  were  in  the  ante- 
chamber where  the  trophies  of  sport  hang  —  and  so  we 
came  to  his  sitting-room.  The  russet  silk  curtains  were 
drawn,  but  by  their  movements  one  could  see  the  win- 
dows were  open  beyond. 

Only  a  single  large  shaded  electric  lamp  burned,  and 
the  high  dark  walls  were  all  in  shadow.  Why  I  had 
allowed  him  to  bring  me  here  I  do  not  know  —  one  is 
not  always  master  of  oneself  in  supreme  moments  of 
one's  life. 

He  turned  and  faced  me  when  we  stood  upon  the 
great  lion-skin  hearth-rug,  and  his  eyes  were  blazing 
and  his  face  very  pale. 

"  My  God ! "  he  said  sternly,  "  how  can  you  expect 
me  to  bear  it !  I  went  away  because  I  love  you  so  mad- 
ly, and  now  you  torture  me  and  play  with  another  man 
under  my  eyes." 

A  wild,  unreasoning  joy  rushed  through  me  —  a  joy 
which  blinded  the  remembrance  of  any  to-morrows,  and 
I  dared  no  longer  look  at  him,  but  lowered  my  head. 

"  Guinevere,"  he  went  on,  "  this  hideous  ache  and 
uncertainty  cannot  continue  —  I  will  not  suffer  it.  For 
God's  sake  tell  me  what  is  in  your  heart,  since  I  have 
told  you  all  of  mine !"  And  there  was  a  sob  in  his  deep 
Voice. 

I  was  trembling  now  with  passionate  emotion.  I 
96 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

could  hardly  answer  him,  but  I  did,  trying  to  call  up 
the  thought  of  all  his  other  loves  to  aid  ray  pride. 

"  Hush !  "  I  whispered.  "  I  cannot  listen  to  you, 
because  I  am  not  like  you,  Sir  Hugh,  a  being  to  whom 
love  is  only  a  game." 

"  Ah !  "  he  cried.  "  How  little  you  know  me  if  you 
think  that  what  I  feel  for  you  is  a  game.  But  perhaps 
you  have  the  right  to  say  that  to  me  —  these  scorpion 
women  have  poisoned  your  mind.  And  what  they  have 
told  you  is  true,  probably.  Once  before  I  said  to  you, 
it  lies  with  the  woman  what  effect  she  produces  upon 
a  man.  Until  I  met  you  they  had  none  of  them  been 
able  to  create  more  in  me  than  a  transient  desire  and  a 
wish  for  constant  change." 

"  But  how  can  you  tell  the  difference  between  your 
old  emotions  and  this  ?  "  I  said  a  little  bitterly.  I 
longed  to  believe  him,  for  I  knew,  as  he  stood  there  So 
splendid  and  so  deeply  moved,  that  I  loved  him  —  with 
all  my  long-numbed  heart. 

"  It  is  the  difference  between  the  sunlight  and  the 
darkness,"  he  answered  firmly.  "You  call  from  me 
everything  that  is  good,  Guinevere,  do  not  play  this 
comedy  with  me  —  it  is  unworthy  of  you  pretending 
you  do  not  understand." 

"  I  do  understand,"  I  said,  "  but  what  can  I  answer 
to  you  ?  My  life  is  already  as  full  of  pain  as  I  can 
bear." 

"  Oh,  my  darling !  "  he  cried,  brokenly,  and  he  leaned 
against  the  tall  chimney-piece  and  covered  his  eyes  with 
his  hand.  "  That  is  the  frightful  price  of  it  —  the 
anguish  to  think  I  can  bring  more  sorrow  into  your 
life ;  but  it  shall  not  be  sorrow  " —  and  he  raised  his 
head  proudly  — "  I  will  not  do  anything  which  will 
cause  you  sorrow.  Only  tell  me  the  truth.  How  much 

97 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

do  I  mean  to  you  ?  How  deep  have  I  been  able  to  grow 
in  your  heart  ?  " 

I  put  out  my  hands  blindly,  as  if  to  ward  off  some 
danger,  and  he  clasped  them  and  pressed  them  fondly 
against  his  breast. 

"Darling,  tell  me  ?  "  he  pleaded  gently ;  and  all  fur- 
ther resistance  fled. 

"  You  have  filled  the  whole  of  it,  Hugh,"  I  whispered, 
hardly  aloud.  "  So  please  take  care  of  me  and  tell  me 
what  to  do." 

Joy  lit  all  his  dear  face,  and  then  with  immense  self- 
control  he  dropped  my  hands. 

"  We  can  live  on  that,  then,  for  the  present,  my 
loved  angel,"  he  said.  "  The  knowledge  of  this  divine 
sweetness  between  us  shall  heal  our  hurts ;  and  when 
the  imperative  necessity  for  more  fulfilment  comes,  we 
must  leave  it  to  Fate." 

"  Yes,"  I  answered,  and  we  looked  into  each  other's 
eyes,  and  for  one  brief  second  he  folded  me  in  his  arms 
and  tenderly  kissed  my  hair. 

Then  we  went  back  on  to  the  star-lit  terrace,  where 
the  company  were,  no  one  seeing  from  whence  we  had 
come. 

And  in  our  hearts  there  was  the  peace  and  beauty 
of  the  cloudless  summer  night. 


CHAPTER  X 

JUNE,  1905 

HOW  good  is  the  summer  !  It  has  none  of  the 
haunting  mockery  of  the  spring  —  or  is  it 
that  my  life  is  glorified  and  makes  its  own 
atmosphere  of  gladness  ?  Perhaps  with  time 
some  other  aspect  will  affect  me,  but  my  happiness  is 
as  yet  too  recent  to  leave  room  for  anything  but  sweet- 
ness. Can  it  be  only  three  days  ago  that  I  felt  dis- 
turbed and  bitter  and  hopeless  ?  How  one  causes  one- 
self suffering  through  simple  imagination!  Hugh  and 
I  loved  one  another  then  as  well  as  to-day,  but  all  the 
jarring  outside  things  hid  the  fact  from  us,  and  our 
imaginations  had  rendered  us  both  miserable.  But  now, 
for  the  future,  I  will  always  try  to  see  the  real  thing, 
and  let  the  seeming  go.  And  the  real  thing  is  that  I  am 
no  more  a  lonely  soul,  drifting  down  the  tide. 

When  we  joined  the  rest  of  the  company  on  the  ter- 
race on  Tuesday  night,  we  <did  not  stay  long  there,  but 
returned  to  the  saloon  through  the  same  window,  and 
Hugh  relinquished  me  to  another  partner,  and  went  his 
way  to  do  his  duty;  and,  but  for  a  brief  moment  as 
we  said  good-night,  he  did  not  speak  to  me  again, 
though  once  or  twice  during  the  evening  he  touched  my 
hand  in  passing,  or  his  eye  met  mine  with  a  look  of  glad 
comprehension,  and  it  was  as  if  the  angels'  song  still 
lingered  in  my  ears. 

"  You  are  certainly  improving,  Guinevere,"  my  sis- 
99 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

ter  told  me  before  we  left.  "  You  look  quite  bright  to- 
night, and  have  danced  like  a  girl.  I  believe  you  have 
a  great  deal  to  tell  me  if  you  would." 

And  I  laughed,  and  kissed  her,  and  followed  Hum- 
phrey to  the  carriage.  He,  too,  had  enjoyed  himself,  it 
appeared,  and  after  his  rubber  of  bridge  had  smoked 
for  more  than  an  hour  with  his  old  friend  Sir  John 
Kaird,  whom  he  has  persuaded  to  come  on  to  us  to- 
morrow for  a  day  or  two,  when  his  visit  to  Minton  Dre- 
mont  will  be  over. 

"  I  suppose  you  danced,  Guinevere,"  Humphrey  said, 
"  when  you  could  find  a  partner." 

"  Yes,"  I  answered.  "  One  or  two  of  the  men  were 
quite  kind  to  me,  and  I  enjoyed  the  pleasant  exercise." 

In  some  ways,  because  I  have  been  married  fourteen 
years,  Humphrey  thinks  of  me  as  a  person  as  old  as 
himself,  and  in  others  I  am  still,  for  him,  a  mere  child. 
That  I  could  ever  have  been  supposed  to  have  desired 
pleasure  and  gaiety,  he  never  considered,  even  when  I 
was  not  yet  twenty. 

I  think,  now,  it  was  fortunate  that  I  was  so  ignor- 
ant and  undeveloped  and  terrified  in  those  first  days, 
because  it  caused  him  to  suppress  all  signs  of  love-mak-1 
ing  very  soon ;  and  when  I  began  to  awaken  a  little,  on' 
account  of  the  knowledge  of  life  which  I  gained  from 
my  books  and  my  observation,  he  had  fallen  into  the 
habit  of  treating  me  as  a  daughter,  and  one  who  no 
longer  interested  him  much,  either.  I  fear  I  was  a 
great  disappointment  to  him  —  he  has  told  me  so  con- 
tinually —  but  as  I  had  no  choice  in  becoming  his  wife, 
I  do  not  feel  remorse  for  this. 

It  is  a  terrible  sin,  in  my  code  of  ethics,  for  human 
beings  to  force  others  into  lives  that  are  repugnant  to 
them,  and  if  a  man  does  this,  fate  will  make  him  pay 

100 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

the  price.  What  right  had  these  two  men,  ror  their 
own  ends  —  my  father  for  money  and  Humphrey  for 
the  gratification  of  a  violent  and  sudden  passion  — 
what  right,  I  say,  had  they  to  take  my  future  and  chain 
it  with  no  chance  of  escape  ?  It  was  hideous  injustice. 
Well,  they  fettered  my  liberty  and  my  outward  actions, 
but  they  could  not  fetter  my  heart  and  my  soul;  these 
have  been  ever  free  and  held  in  my  own  keeping,  and 
now  they  have  gone  to  him  who  has  called  them  into 
life  and  joy  and  knowledge  of  their  meaning — and  I 
feel  glorified,  and  not  a  sinner. 

"  Hugh  Dremont  loves  me  "  —  I  say  it  over  and  over 
softly  to  myself  as  I  look  at  his  flag.  "  And  oh !  air  and 
sky  and  trees,  I  love  him  in  return !  " 

I  am  not  going  to  look  ahead;  I  am  going  to  be 
happy  in  the  present,  and,  like  the  birds  and  flowers 
and  the  trees,  I  too  shall  rejoice  in  the  summer. 

It  is  comfort  enough  to  sit  here  and  dream  —  to  re- 
member his  looks  and  his  words  —  his  dear  face  moved, 
and  his  loved  voice  trembling.  And  they  none  of  them 
matter,  those  scheming  ladies!  They  may  set  their 


snares  in  vain 


I  shall  not  mind  now  if  I  do  not  often  see  him.  The 
consciousness  that  love  is  between  us  will  suffice.  I  feel 
that  I  must  be  gentler,  tenderer  to  the  whole  world  — 
that  is  all.  Love  has  melted  my  frozen  heart  and  torn 
the  sad  gray  veil  from  my  eyes.  Surely  the  roses  are 
more  perfumed  —  surely  the  sky  is  more  blue  —  surely 
I  am  still  young  and  comely ! 

Ah !  this  is  the  meaning  of  life. 


Just  as  I  turned  from  the  window,  I  heard  voices 
coming  into  the  turret  stairs  from  the  little  library 

101 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

below,    and    I    recognized    them    as    Letitia's    and— • 
Hugh's. 

"Guinevere!"  my  sister  called.  "May  we  come 
up?  I  told  Hartington  he  need  not  send  for  you,  I 
would  fetch  you  myself."  And,  without  waiting,  she 
appeared  through  the  narrow  door,  followed  by  her 
host. 

"  Hugh  has  been  a  perfect  darling,"  she  announced. 
"  Brought  me  over  to  see  you  in  the  motor,  and  is 
going  to  let  me  go  on  in  it  to  Mitley  —  it  is  only 
fifteen  miles,  you  know.  And  you  must  keep  him  here 
until  I  return.  We  crept  away  from  the  others  while 
they  had  dispersed,  immediately  after  lunch,  for  letters 
or  sleep." 

"  I  am  delighted  to  see  you,  Letitia,"  I  said. 

"  Humphrey  told  us  on  Tuesday  night  that  he  had 
to  go  in  to  Wareford  on  county  business  to-day,"  she 
went  on,  "  and  would  not  be  back  until  the  evening ;  so, 
I  thought  as  you  would  be  alone  and  have  nothing  to 
do  we  would  pounce  upon  you." 

She  sat  down  in  the  west  window-seat  for  a  minute 
while  she  looked  round  the  room.  Hugh  stood  leaning 
on  the  back  of  the  big  chair. 

"  You  have  got  your  tiny  piano,  I  see,"  she  laughed, 
*'  disguised  under  that  piece  of  brocade.  You  might 
play  to  us  a  little ;  it  is  so  soothing,  and  when  I  have 
had  enough  I'll  slip  away." 

I  sat  down  at  once  —  and  they  were  all  joyous 
things  which  came  to  my  finger-tips;  and  in  a  few 
minutes  Letitia  rose. 

"  There !  "  she  said.  "  Now,  Hugh,  take  me  down 
and  put  me  into  the  motor,  and  then  you  can  come 
back  again."  And  she  kissed  me  and  turned  to  the 
stairs. 

102 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

And  for  those  minutes  while  he  was  away,  I  was 
making  up  my  mind. 

The  joy  of  having  him  up  here  in  my  own  little 
shrine  would  be  very  great  —  but  it  certainly  would 
not  be  prudent.  I  must  take  him  back  to  the  drawing- 
room,  and  perhaps  to  the  bench  in  the  garden  where 
the  hedge  of  roses  grows  and  the  old  sun-dial  warns  us 
of  the  passage  of  time. 

But  as  I  was  thinking  thus,  he  bounded  up  the  stairs 
with  the  glad  rush  of  a  boy. 

He  came  over  to  me  where  I  stood  looking  out  on 
the  trees  and  he  took  and  kissed  my  hand. 

"  I  had  to  come,"  he  whispered.  "  This  glorious  day 
seemed  calling  me  to  you.  And  then  that  dear  sister 
of  yours  remembered  that  it  would  be  possible,  and 
suggested  the  way." 

A  perfectly  delicious  and  tender  thrill  had  seized 
me.  and  I  could  not  raise  my  eyes  to  meet  his. 

"  Darling,"  he  gasped,  "  if  you  look  down  like  that, 
I  cannot  remain  as  calm  as  I  wish  to  be.  Look  at  me, 
Guinevere." 

So  I  did  as  I  was  bidden,  and  read  all  the  tender  pas- 
sion he  was  feeling  in  that  brief  glance. 

"  Say  that  we  absolutely  understand  one  another," 
he  commanded  fondly ;  and  I  answered : 

"  I  feel  we  do,  Hugh,  and  it  is  going  to  change 
everything,  and  make  the  gray  shadows  all  golden." 

"  Sit  down  beside  me  in  the  east  window-seat,"  he 
pleaded,  "  just  for  a  moment ;  and  let  us  look  over  the 
tree-tops  together  to  my  home.  Guinevere  —  I  love 
you  so." 

He  took  my  hand  and  drew  me  to  the  low  sill  and  sat 
down  beside  me  —  so  close  that  he  touched  me,  and  I 
shivered  with  the  emotion  it  caused  me. 

103 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

"  Hugh,"  I  whispered.  "  No  - —  we  must  not  stay 
here.  Oh !  I  asked  you  to  take  care  of  me  —  and  all 
this  that  I  am  feeling  frightens  me.  Let  us  go  into 
the  garden,  Hugh — " 

"  Darling  " — and  he  looked  into  my  eyes  with  grave4 
tenderness  — "  do  not  fear." 

But  a  wild  longing  for  I  know  not  what  —  to  be 
folded  to  his  heart,  I  think  —  convulsed  me,  and  I 
started  to  my  feet,  and  led  the  way  down  the  turret 
stairs  and  so  out  into  the  glorious  sunlight,  and  to  the 
old  bench  by  the  sun-dial. 

He  followed  me  without  a  word. 

I  picked  a  red  rose  nervously,  and  stuck  it  in  my 
belt.  My  foolish  heart  was  still  beating  tempestuously, 
and  I  could  not  speak;  but  my  emotion  was  all  joy. 

Then  we  sat  down  beside  each  other  at  last,  and 
there  was  a  happy  silence  between  us,  while  Hugh 
seemed  to  be  taking  in  every  line  of  me.  I  could  feel 
his  eyes  penetrating  me  as  I  looked  down  and  played 
with  another  rose.  Then  we  began  to  talk. 

We  spoke  shyly  at  first,  like  two  children,  but  after- 
ward we  opened  our  hearts  to  each  other  and  told  of 
the  thoughts  of  our  souls. 

We  did  not  speak  directly  again  of  love  —  our  per- 
sonal love,  I  mean  —  but  all  the  under-meaning  of 
things  was  full  of  tenderness. 

Then  we  talked  of  the  books  which  please  us,  and  he 
asked  me  if  I  would  let  him  give  me  some. 

"  It  will  make  me  happy,  Guinevere,  if  I  may.  To  a 
man  it  is  always  a  pleasure  to  give  what  she  cares  for 
to  the  woman  he  loves.  It  is  one  of  the  instincts  in  the 
male  character ;  he  likes  to  feel  that  he  has  the  right  to 
provide  her  with  all  material  things.  It  is  so  interest- 
ing to  trace  instincts,  and  what  they  go  back  to." 

104 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

"  Yes,"  I  agreed.  "  And  that .  instinct  in  man  goes 
back,  I  suppose,  to  the  time  when  outward  things  were 
his  only  means  of  showing  the  rest  of  the  tribe  that  a 
woman  was  his  belonging,  as  the  trappings  on  his  horse 
showed  it  was  his  also." 

"  Probably  —  but  civilization  has  spiritualized  the 
feeling  with  us;  that  being  the  foundation,  we  have 
woven  into  it  the  joy  that  she  whom  we  love  shall  touch 
and  be  surrounded  by  the  things  we  have  given  her, 
that  the  link  may  be  greater  between  us." 

'*  I  dare  say  some  men  who  have  sentiment  think  of 
it  like  that,"  I  said ;  "  but  not  many  of  them."  And 
I  thought  of  Humphrey,  who  is  still  at  the  tribal 
stage  in  his  conception  of  women  —  solaces  for  the 
bodies  of  men,  household  drudges  if  financial  cir- 
cumstances make  it  necessary,  and,  in  all  cases,  inferior 
beings. 

Hugh  looked  away  into  distance,  and  my  eyes  fol- 
lowed his.  There,  to  our  left,  was  the  old  gray,  for- 
bidding pile,  with  its  grim  turret  and  narrow  windows 
keeping  guard,  and  in  front  of  us,  above  the  high  gar- 
den wall,  we  could  just  see  the  roofs  of  the  later  build- 
ing, with  the  summer  sky  for  background,  and  to  the 
right,  far  blue  hills.  There  was  a  warm  hush  over 
everything ;  nature  seemed  drowsing  with  happiness  and 
peace. 

"  Guinevere,"  said  Hugh,  "  is  it  not  wonderful  that 
it  has  taken  us  all  these  years  to  find  each  other,  and 
that  now  we  have  so  much  to  say,  we  hardly  know 
where  to  begin?  " 

"  I  love  to  talk  to  you,  Hugh,"  I  said ;  and  as  I  said 
it,  he  turned  glad  eyes  to  me  and  moved  a  little  nearer 
on  the  seat.  "  I  have  never  had  a  friend  before  to  whom 
I  could  really  say  my  thoughts.  I  am  alwa}Ts  analyzing; 

105 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

everjthing,  and  the  meaning  of  things,  and  have  no  one 
to  tell  the  conclusions  I  come  to." 

"  I  want  to  hear  them  on  all  subjects,"  he  answered 
fondly.  "  I  am  sure  they  are  all  wise  and  true,  and 
they  have  been  accumulating  in  that  dear  little  head 
for  how  many  years !  " 

I  thought  for  a  moment.    Then.: 

"  Ten,  at  least,"  J  told  him.  "  For  the  first  three  or 
four  after  I  was  married,  I  do  not  think  I  developed  at 
all.  I  was  still  like  a  child  of  fourteen,  and  just  numb 
with  the  fear  and  horror  of  everything;  and  so  very 
delicate  —  I  never  like  to  remember  that  time.  But 
afterwards,  when  I  lived  at  Bath  with  Humphrey's  old 
sisters,  then  I  used  to  read  and  think  all  day  and  most 
of  the  night." 

He  looked  very  interested,  so  I  went  on.  "  I  read 
everything  you  can  think  of,  and  began  to  realize  the 
deep  injustice  and  the  hideous  hypocrisy  of  most  civil- 
ized people's  lives." 

"  Yes,  we  are  all  prisoners,"  he  agreed,  rather  sadly. 
"  But  your  life,  which  ought  to  have  been  surrounded 
with  the  tenderest  care,  was  peculiarly  harsh  and  bar- 
ren. Oh !  my  dear,  if  I  had  only  known  you  then !  " 
And  his  voice  was  full  of  regret.  "  I  am  five  years 
older  than  you.  I  was  twenty-one  when  you  were  mar- 
ried. If  fate  had  let  me  ride  by  instead  of  the  Gen- 
eral!" 

"  You  perhaps  would  not  have  cared  at  all  for  me  — 
I  was  ridiculously  shy  and  timid,  and  had  not  a  word 
to  say  to  any  one.  I  think  it  is  having  been  so  lonely 
that  has  taught  me  things  —  cultivated  me,  perhaps, 
and  turned  me  into  that  which  pleases  you  now;  so  we 
must  not  regret  anything." 

**  No,  regrets  are  weakness.    What  I  wish  now  is  to 
106 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

make  life  fairer  for  you,  if  I  can,  with  my  sympathy 
and  understanding.  I  promise  I  will  try  to  keep  my 
love  for  you  within  the  bounds  which  cannot  cause  any 
sorrow.  Darling,  you  are  so  fragile-looking  and  so 
utterly  sweet,  you  appeal  to  everything  that  is  strong 
and  protective  in  a  man." 

"  It  will  be  happiness  enough  for  me  to  know  there 
is  some  one  who  cares  for  me,"  I  said.  "  I  do  not  de- 
sire anything  more,  Hugh.  I  have  never  loved  any  one 
in  my  life  before  —  and  I  am  nearly  thirty-one !  " 

Such  a  strange  look  came  into  his  face,  of  worship 
at  first,  and  then  he  drew  in  his  breath  as  though  dis- 
turbed, and  clasped  his  hands. 

"  Darling,"  he  whispered,  with  his  dear  voice  very 
deep,  "  you  must  help  me  to  be  always  as  you  wish  and 
to  deserve  this  great  gift."  And  then  he  stopped 
abruptly,  as  though  afraid  to  continue  the  subject;  and 
I  knew  that  he  was  thinking,  just  as  I  was,  that  it 
would  be  very  difficult  to  keep  our  emotions  on  the 
plane  where  they  now  were,  and  that  we  must  help  each 
other  in  this. 

Then  we  spoke  of  Minton  Dremont,  after  a  little 
silence.  Hugh  loves  his  home  profoundly,  but  to  hear 
him  talk  among  his  guests,  treating  all  subjects  with  a 
cynical  gaiety,  no  one  would  imagine  he  felt  so  deeply, 
or  had  sentiment  over  anything. 

It  was  nearly  six  o'clock  when  Letitia  returned  and 
came  through  the  wrought-iron  gates  from  the  court- 
yard to  join  us,  finding  us  pacing  up  and  down  the  far, 
walk  which  is  bordered  by  old  gnarled  apple  trees. 

"  You  have   had    a   peaceful   time !  "    she   laughed. 

"  And  now,  Hugh,  we  ought  to  hurry,  as  I  am  afraid! 

I  have  made  you  stay  much  too  long  away  from  your 

other  guests ;  and,  considering  it  is  the  last  day  of  this 

8  107 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

delightful  party,  they  will  be  sufficiently  mad  with  me. 
Fortunately,  there  was  a  puncture  as  I  arrived  at  Mit- 
ley  —  mended  long  before  I  thought  of  leaving,  but  we 
shall  have  to  make  the  most  of  that !  " 

Letitia  is  so  cheery  always;  she  brings  an  atmos- 
phere of  material  common-sense  with  her  which  is  ex- 
tremely good  for  me,  and  we  all  smiled  gaily  as  they 
hurried  off.  Hugh  and  I  had  even  forgotten  to  go 
into  the  house  for  tea,  and  as  I  got  to  the  drawing- 
room  alone,  presently  I  saw  Hartington  had  only  sent 
up  my  small  tray  laid  for  one.  Did  he  not  realize,  then, 
that  I  had  had  a  visitor  remaining  after  the  motor  had 
gone? 

Letitia  had  left  a  note  for  Humphrey,  which  she  said 
I  was  to  give  him,  telling  him  she  had  brought  it  over 
herself;  and  when  he  and  Algernon  returned  at  about 
seven,  I  handed  it  to  him. 

"  Letitia  and  Sir  Hugh  Dremont  brought  this,"  I 
said.  "  Letitia  was  on  her  way  to  Mitley  in  the  motor. 
The  party  breaks  up  to-morrow,  when  Sir  John  comes 
to  us." 

If  Humphrey  had  asked  me  any  questions,  I  would 
have  told  the  exact  truth.  I  cannot  bear  subterfuge; 
and  to  be  honest  with  myself,  I  tried  even  to  word 
my  announcement  so  that  he  could  ask  if  he  wished, 
but  he  made  no  remark  as  he  opened  the  letter.  I 
watched  his  face  as  he  read,  having  no  idea  what  the 
contents  could  be.  He  frowned  first,  and  then  he 
smiled. 

'  You  know  all  about  this,  of  course,  Guinevere,"  he 
said  gruffly,  but  not  in  the  snarling  tone  he  uses  when 
he  is  going  to  be  disagreeable. 

"  No,  I  do  not,"  I  answered.  "  My  sister  handed  me 
the  letter  as  she  was  leaving.  What  is  it  about  ?  " 

108 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

He  looked  suspicious,  as  usual,  but  tossed  me  over 
the  missive  and  sat  down  in  his  chair. 

It  was  one  of  Letitia's  masterpieces,  a  mixture  of 
insidious  flattery  and  cajolement,  concealing  the  pith, 
which  was  to  ask  him  to  let  her  have  me  to  stay  with 
her  in  London  for  her  ball,  which  happened  to  be  com- 
ing off  in  the  following  week.  I  had  not  stayed  with 
her  for  three  years,  she  pointed  out,  and  never  in  Lon- 
don, and  she  would  only  keep  me  the  inside  of  the  week, 
as  she  herself  would  be  leaving  on  the  Saturday  for  a 
Sunday  visit  before  Ascot  began. 

I  made  no  remark  whatever.  Experience  has  taught 
me  the  wisest  course  is  always  silence  with  Humphrey. 

"  Well?  "  he  growled.  "  I  suppose  you  want  to  go? 
You  have  been  looking  so  damn  pale  and  peaky  lately, 
perhaps  the  change  may  buck  you  up  a  bit  —  make  you 
less  of  a  ghost.  If  you  had  even  half  your  sister's  vital- 
ity it  would  be  a  mercy  — " 

"  Am  I  to  accept,  then  ?  "  I  asked  gently.  "  I  would 
like  to  be  with  Letitia  for  a  few  days  very  much,  if 
you  will  allow  me  to  go." 

"  Do  as  you  please,"  my  husband  returned.  "  If 
you  don't  want  any  more  clothes.  I  have  had  quite 
enough  expenses  this  year  as  it  is." 

"  I  do  not  require  anything,  thank  you,"  I  answered. 
"  And  I  hope  I  may  be  less  dull  when  I  come  back.  I 
am  afraid  I  have  been  tiresome,  but  I  have  been  tired, 
or  something  silly.  I  will  write  to  Letitia  to-night ;  she 
will  be  so  delighted,  I  know." 

"  Go  and  dress  now,"  said  Humphrey.  "  I  won't  be 
kept  waiting  for  dinner  in  my  own  house  while  I  am 
master  of  it."  And  then,  as  he  got  up  and  was  going 
to  the  door  that  leads  to  his  wing,  he  turned  and  looked 
at  me  critically,  and,  coming  back,  said  discontentedly : 

109 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

"  Algernon  is  getting  beyond  himself.  He  was  thun- 
deringly  impertinent  at  luncheon  to-day.  I  won't  let 
him  dine  down  to-night,  as  he  was  promised.  You  ought 
to  have  some  influence  upon  him,  but  you  have  none." 

"  I  do  not  think  any  one  will  ever  influence  Alger- 
non," I  sighed.  "  He  is  so  like  you,  Humphrey,  and 
you  know  you  would  never  have  let  any  woman  influence 
you,  I  am  sure,  at  any  time  of  your  life." 

This  pleased  him,  and  he  went  off  to  dress,  with  that 
sardonic  smile  on  his  lips  which  I  know  means  satisfac- 
tion—  and  I  almost  bounded  up  the  stairs,  two  steps 
at  a  time,  filled  with  the  j  oy  of  my  coming  visit. 

But  when  I  got  into  my  room,  I  heard  a  noise  in  the 
turret  chamber,  and  went  there  to  find  Algernon  stand- 
ing staring  out  of  the  north  window,  and  kicking  the 
stone  wall  below  the  sill. 

He  turned,  and  his  handsome  face  was  dark  with 
wrath. 

"  Father  is  a  beast,  mum !  "  he  blurted  out.  "  I  hate 
him,  don't  you?  And  I  wish  he  was  dead." 

Tears  of  rage  were  so  near  his  big  gray  eyes,  I 
longed  to  caress  and  comfort  him. 

"  Darling !  "  I  said,  and  held  out  my  arms ;  and  for 
once  in  his  life  my  son  let  me  clasp  him  and  kiss  his 
curly  hair  without  my  being  rebuffed.  Great  sobs  shook 
him,  but  his  eyes  were  dry  now. 

"  To  insult  me  before  the  grooms !  "  he  stammered. 
"  To  treat  me  as  if  I  were  still  ten  years  old !  He  hit 
me  with  his  riding  whip,  mother  —  in  the  inn  yard  at 
Wareford  —  and  now  he  says  I  am  to  stay  upstairs, 
like  a  baby !  I  won't  bear  it.  Some  day  I  will  kill  him, 
and  then  they  will  hang  me,  and  that  will  be  the  end  of 
the  family.  And  a  good  thing,  too !  " 

Oh !  the  anguish  to  hear  him  talk  so  —  my  dear  boy ! 
110 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

I  forgot  all  the  joy  of  my  coming  visit,  and  tried  to 
soothe  him  with  my  sympathy,  but  I  could  not  comfort 
him  or  bring  another  mood;  and  at  last  I  was  obliged 
to  rush  back  to  dress  and  go  down  and  face  Humphrey, 
a  mad  indignation  in  my  heart. 


CHAPTER  XI 

one  lives  very  much  out  of  the  world  and 
suddenly  comes  into  it,  one  is  struck  by  the 
rust  one  has  allowed  to  accumulate,  even 
when,  as  in  my  case,  my  lonely  mind  is  always 
occupied  with  books  and  ideas  and  not  the  ways  of 
people.  Still,  introspection,  on  however  broad  lines  it 
may  be  indulged  in,  is  a  warping  occupation.  And  now 
that  I  have  been  for  three  days  in  Letitia's  dazzling 
society  of  thrust  and  parry,  rush  and  instantaneous 
decisions,  I  seem  to  place  fresh  values  upon  things  and 
see  everything  with  new  eyes. 

Letitia's  set  are  brilliant  creatures,  many  of  them, 
not  burdened  with  hearts  or  any  inconvenient  emotions 
which  hamper  their  doings.  They  seem  all  so  satiated 
with  pleasure  that  they  turn  to  any  new  thing  while  it 
charms  them,  and  then  throw  it  away  the  moment  it 
palls. 

On  the  Monday  evening  when  I  arrived  there  was  a 
dinner-party,  and  Hugh  Dremont  was  one  of  the  num- 
ber of  guests.  I  did  not  then  know  what  was  in  my 
sister's  mind  upon  the  subject,  and  so  behaved  with  my 
usual  reserve.  She  had  not  put  him  next  me,  or  any- 
where near,  and  I  never  allowed  my  eyes  to  stray  to  his 
or  my  attention  to  wander  from  the  most  amusing 
young  man  who  had  taken  me  in.  And  once  or  twice, 
when  I  looked  up  at  Letitia,  I  saw  her  glance  fixed  on 
me  in  a  rather  puzzled  way. 

We  had  only  a  short  time  in  the  drawing-room  after- 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

ward  before  the  men  joined  us,  because  we  were  all 
going  on  to  a  ball  —  a  married  ball,  Letitia  had  told 
me,  which  would  not  bore  me  as  most  balls  bored  every 
one;  and  twelve  or  thirteen  women  had  dined,  so  we 
only  talked  in  small  groups. 

In  ours  Lady  Marjoribanks  was  one  of  them,  and 
the  Duchess  and  two  others.  They  no  longer  glanced 
at  me  suspiciously,  as  at  first,  and  while  ignoring  me 
as  an  inoffensive  nonentity  they  were  not  unfriendly. 

They  spoke  of  everything  with  unconscious  cynicism. 
The  Duchess,  it  appeared,  had  been  getting  up  a  huge 
charity  ball  for  some  time,  which  she  had  made  every 
Jewess  and  amenable  foreigner  climbing  into  the  sacred 
portals  of  society  in  England  take  tickets  for,  and 
bring  parties  to,  and  then,  at  the  last  moment,  had  not 
gone  herself. 

"  I  do  think  you  should  have  shown  up,  Ermyn- 
trude,"  Lady  Marjoribanks  announced.  "  We  must 
play  the  game  now,  with  the  Radicals  coming  in,  or  we 
shall  lose  our  influence.  I  am  all  for  making  these 
creatures  pay  for  their  footing  among  us,  but  you 
should  have  given  them  some  return.  Numbers  of  them 
must  have  heard  that  your  whole  party  went  off  to 
EarPs  Court  and  exploited  the  water  chute  and  flying 
boats.  You  might  have  gone  into  the  Grafton  Gal- 
leries for  a  few  minutes." 

"  Darling,  we  weren't  dressed,  don't  you  see?  "  the 
Duchess  murmured  plaintively.  "  I  had  forgotten  all 
about  the  horrid  ball,  and  Charlie  Vernaby  had  had  a 
delightful  river  lunch  party,  which  we  got  back  so  late 
from  we  all  decided  to  finish  the  evening  together  be- 
fore coming  home  to  dress  for  Winnie's  midnight  Co- 
tillon. So  we  went  into  Earl's  Court  just  as  we  were, 
and  quite  enjoyed  ourselves.  I  never  remembered  until 

113 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

next  morning,  when  I  read  the  papers.  One  of  those 
horrible  halfpenny  rags  was  quite  rude  about  it,  and  I 
had  to  make  my  secretary  write  an  explanation  and 
smooth  the  thing  down." 

"  Ermyntrude,  you  are  incorrigibly  vague,"  Letitia 
said,  "  but  it  is  one  of  your  charms." 

"  Hugh  has  got  an  absent  look  in  his  eyes.  I  no- 
ticed it  at  dinner,"  Lady  Marjoribanks  now  remarked, 
in  a  slightly  lower  tone,  to  my  sister.  "  What  does 
this  portend,  do  you  think?  Winnie  felt  quite  sure  of 
him  before  Whitsuntide,  but  something  must  have  hap- 
pened, for,  as  you  know,  nothing  advanced  during  the 
week." 

"  He  is  only  having  a  breathing  space,"  Letitia  said, 
"  Winnie  will  secure  him  all  right  if  she  does  not  hurry 
him  —  unless  I  have  a  look  in  myself,"  and  she  laughed 
gaily,  knowing  they  all  knew  she  was  otherwise  engaged 
for  the  moment,  and  had  no  intention  of  re-cutting  for 
partners  in  the  game  of  flirtation  until  the  season 
should  be  over. 

"  Was  there  any  one  at  Mitley  the  day  you  took  him 
there,  pet?  "  the  Duchess  joined  in.  "  That  was  mean 
of  you  to  keep  him  the  whole  afternoon." 

"  Yes,"  Letitia  admitted,  with  apparent  reluctance. 
"  There  was  a  new  American  staying  in  the  house,  very 
pretty  and  divinely  dressed  —  I  thought  her  dangerous 
at  the  time." 

This  announcement  was  greeted  with  cries  of  interest, 
and  the  group  drew  together  to  hear  of  their  possible 
common  enemy,  while  an  exquisite  sense  of  mirth  and 
mischief  crept  over  me,  as  I  sat  very  quietly  on  the  sofa. 
What  would  they  all  have  said  had  they  known  that  Sir 
Hugh  had  never  gone  to  Mitley  at  all,  but  had  spent  the 
time  in  the  walled  garden  with  me?  But  beyond  the 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

mirth  there  came  a  sense  of  the  necessity  for  caution. 
Letitia  must  guess  something,  and  she  would  never  trou- 
ble to  imply  a  false  presumption  like  this  to  her  dear 
friends  if  she  did  not  think  the  matter  grave  enough  to 
justify  it.  I  must  hardly  even  speak  of  Hugh  before 
any  of  them;  that  was  clear. 

He  came  straight  over  to  me  when  the  men  entered 
the  room,  and  there  was  a  hungry  light  in  his  dear  eyes. 
But  I  was  like  marble,  and  with  new-born  resource 
whispered  behind  my  fan  before  he  could  speak: 

"  Please  don't  take  any  notice  of  me  —  I  will  tell  you 
why  if  we  have  a  chance,"  and  I  turned  away  and  pre- 
tended to  be  interested  in  old  Colonel  Hardwicke,  a  wit 
of  Humphrey's  date.  Hugh  moved  on  and  sat  beside 
Lady  Marjoribanks,  as  though  it  had  been  his  original 
intention,  and  a  gleam  of  satisfaction  grew  in  her  nar- 
row eyes. 

The  sense  of  mischief  and  fun  did  not  leave  me,  and 
Letitia  linked  her  arm  in  mine  and  drew  me  into  the 
conservatory  for  a  second  as  we  were  all  preparing  to 
go  downstairs  and  start  for  the  ball. 

"  Guinevere,"  she  whispered,  "  you  are  much  cleverer 
than  I  thought.  Keep  it  up  the  whole  evening,  dear. 
I  will  explain  to  Hugh,  and  he  will  come  and  breakfast 
with  us  alone  to-morrow.  They  are  on  the  qui  vive,  as 
you  can  see,  and  it  would  be  fatal  to  give  them  any 
scent  so  soon." 

The  result  of  this  was  that  at  the  ball  Hugh  never 
came  near  me,  and  I  did  not  enjoy  myself;  after  the 
first  excitement  of  the  situation  was  over,  a  dull  longing 
for  his  voice  and  companionship  crept  over  me.  It 
would  not  be  much  satisfaction  only  to  be  able  to  look 
at  him  all  the  time,  I  felt. 

At  supper  we  did  chance  to  be  at  the  same  table. 
115 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

The  ball  was  at  a  great  house,  with  everything  most 
beautifully  done,  and  our  table  was  up  in  a  corner ;  but 
the  man  whom  I  had  gone  in  with  —  the  same  who  had 
been  my  partner  at  dinner  —  did  not  give  me  the  oppor- 
tunity to  exchange  remarks  with  my  neighbors,  and  as 
we  all  got  up  and  Hugh  passed  me,  he,  for  one  second, 
surreptitiously  grasped  my  hand  so  forcefully  that  it 
hurt.  Then  joy  came  back  again.  The  strong  touch 
conveyed  comfort  —  he,  too,  was  feeling  that  the  re- 
strictions of  the  evening  were  beginning  to  be  unbear- 
able. 

I  was  standing  with  the  Duchess  for  a  moment  after- 
ward when  he  came  up  and  chaffed  with  her,  and  then, 
in  an  indifferent  and  rather  bored  tone,  he  said,  as 
though  duty  forced  him : 

*'  I  hope  you  like  London,  Mrs.  Bohun.  You  are 
staying  with  your  sister,  I  suppose?  " 

"  Yes,"  I  answered  demurely,  and  he  went  on : 

'*  Would  you  care  to  see  the  famous  Watteaus  ? 
There  is  not  such  a  crush  now."  And,  as  the  Duchess's 
partner  came  to  claim  her,  he  and  I  moved  to  the  door 
and,  finding  two  seats  on  a  sofa  in  a  little  boudoir  down 
the  gallery,  we  sank  into  them. 

"  This  is  driving  me  perfectly  mad,  darling,"  Hugh 
said.  "  I  could  not  stand  it  a  moment  longer.  I  felt 
murderous  toward  all  my  old  friends."  Then  he  looked 
away  indifferently  as  two  of  them  entered  the  room. 
"  Letitia  will  be  angry  with  me,  I  am  afraid,  if  we  stay 
more  than  a  minute  together,"  he  went  on,  "  but  I  had 
to  bring  you  here,  just  to  tell  you  I  love  you,  again  — 
and  you  look  like  the  sweetest  white  rose.  I  am  coming 
to  breakfast  at  ten  to-morrow  morning,  on  my  way 
from  my  ride.  Say  you  hate  all  this,  too,  and  would 
much  rather  be  with  me  all  alone." 

116 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

How  his  words  thrilled  me !  But  Lady  Latrobe,  the 
"  Winnie  "  who  has  marked  him  out  for  her  prey,  was 
facing  us,  and  I  felt  the  whole  of  my  arts  would  be 
needed  not  to  betray  the  smallest  interest.  So  I  said  I 
thought  Letitia  wished  to  go  now,  and  we  had  better 
look  for  her.  Then  I  rose,  and,  when  my  face  could  no 
longer  be  observed,  I  faltered,  "  Yes  —  but  you  know 
it,  Hugh." 

With  this  sweet  knowledge  between  us,  we  returned 
to  the  ballroom  and  stood  a  moment  indifferently,  and 
Letitia  came  up,  and  Hugh  joined  the  Duchess  again, 
and  soon  we  started  for  home. 

In  her  electric  brougham  Letitia  grasped  my  hand. 

"  Guinevere,"  she  said,  "  I  am  not  going  to  ask  you 
a  single  question,  dear,  but  you  can  infer  that  I  know 
exactly  where  Hugh  Dremont's  much  sought-after 
glance  is  desiring  to  turn.  Well,  they  won't  let  you 
keep  him  in  peace  if  they  ever  know.  I  had  one  mo- 
ment of  difficulty  with  them  to-night,  as  you  must  have 
observed,  and  had  to  tell  some  fearful  fibs.  You  will 
be  careful,  won't  you,  child?  " 

"  There  is  nothing  to  be  careful  about,  Letitia,"  I 
said.  "  I  like  Sir  Hugh  very  much,  and  he  likes  me,  I 
think  —  that  is  all." 

"  Guinevere,  you  will  make  me  angry  if  you  go  on 
pretending  so,"  my  sister  said  sternly  for  her.  "  Hugh 
is  not  nearly  so  silly  —  he  realizes  that  to  see  you  at 
all  he  must  trust  some  one,  and  he  knows  me  well 
enough,  even  though  you  do  not  appear  to  do  so,  to  be 
able  to  trust  me." 

"  Oh,  Letitia,  I  did  not  mean  not  to  trust  you.  For- 
give me,"  I  implored  her. 

"  Well,  now  we  understand  one  another,  dear,"  she 
returned,  giving  my  hand  a  squeeze,  "  so  we  need  not 

117 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

say  any  more.  Only,  don't  take  it  all  too  seriously, 
that  is  all  I  ask.  Hugh  is  frightfully  attractive,  and  I 
think  he  is  really  in  love  with  you  —  for  the  first  time 
in  his  life—" 

"  How  am  I  not  to  take  it  seriously,  then,  Letitia  ? 
As  you  say,  he  is  frightfully  attractive,"  I  sighed.  "  I 
am  afraid  to  look  ahead  for  a  moment.  We  have  set- 
tled to  be  friends  and  help  one  another,  and  just  for  a 
little  while  I  want  to  be  happy  with  that." 

"  So  you  shall,"  Letitia  assured  me,  "  as  long  as  you 
are  with  me,  at  least,  dear.  And  when  you  go  back  to 
your  prison-house,  you  must  manage  how  you  can.  I 
think  you  are  too  proud  ever  to  make  a  scandal,  and 
after  to-night  we  won't  talk  of  anything  like  this.  Be- 
lieve me,  I  quite  understand." 

Next  morning  I  was  dressed  at  ten  o'clock  and  had 
gone  down  into  my  sister's  sitting-room,  where  a  cozy 
breakfast  was  already  laid  out  —  her  house  is  in  Nor- 
folk Street,  and  her  rooms  look  out  on  the  Park  —  and 
presently  she  came  in,  in  a  ravishing  confection  of  lace 
and  chiffon,  blooming  like  a  ripe  peach. 

"  If  it  had  only  been  any  one  else  but  Hugh,"  she 
said,  as  she  kissed  me  good  morning,  "  we  could  have 
had  the  most  enchanting  parties  of  four,  Guinevere  — 
I  and  my  amusing  friend,  and  you  and  yours.  But  I 
dare  not  even  trust  Albert  with  such  an  exciting  fact 
as  Hugh's  admiration  for  you,  because,  although  he 
would  not  say  a  word  now,  perhaps,  or  ever  intend  to, 
Ada  would  certainly  get  it  out  of  him  in  the  autumn.  I 
shall  most  likely  have  finished  with  him  by  then,  and 
she  always  extracts  every  one's  minutest  secrets  when 
the  disconsolate  ones  go  to  her  for  consolation  in 
between  their  affaires.  She  is  quite  good-natured 
with  us,  though  —  Ada  —  but  she  would  never  forgive 

118 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

me  if  she  found  out  I  had  hoodwinked  her  about 
Hugh." 

"  I  expect  these  little  intrigues  are  a  diversion  for 
you  all,"  I  said ;  "  otherwise  you  would  be  so  frightfully 
tired  of  the  same  round,  year  after  year."  And  I  looked 
out  of  the  window  at  the  green  June  trees,  and  tried  to 
banish  the  jar  that  these  cynical  reflections  caused  me. 
The  thought  that  Hugh  and  I  were  being  "  arranged 
for  " —  like  the  rest,  our  meetings  connived  at,  even  by 
my  own  sister  —  fretted  my  spirit.  It  turned  the  whole 
thing  into  something  commonplace,  something  akin  to 
the  flirtations  of  the  world  which  I  had  hitherto  de- 
spised. Letitia  divined  my  thoughts,  it  would  appear, 
for  she  laughed  softly. 

"  Darling  goosie !  "  she  said.  "  In  all  affairs  of  the 
heart,  you  must  above  all  things  keep  your  head.  I 
could  not  possibly  enjoy  my  very  agreeable  life  as  I 
do,  if  I  held  your  romantic  notions.  Instead  of  which, 
I  amuse  myself  and  take  an  artistic  pleasure  out  of 
managing  each  of  my  fancies  with  consummate  skill." 
And  she  laughed  her  rich,  happy  laugh  again.  "  But, 
to  continue  with  what  I  was  saying;  we  can't  have 
parties  of  four,  so  while  you  are  here,  pet,  I  am  going 
to  devote  myself  to  your  interests  alone,  and  if  I  do  not 
send  you  back  to  Redwood  looking  a  new  creature,  I 
shall  be  much  disappointed." 

Before  I  could  say  anything  in  reply,  Louise,  Leti- 
tia's  elderly  French  maid,  came  in  to  say  the  butler 
had  just  sent  a  message  from  Sir  Hugh  Dremont,  ask- 
ing if  he  might  come  up  for  a  moment,  as  he  was  fright- 
fully hungry  after  his  ride,  and  wanted  some  food. 

All  the  servants  here  seem  to  know  Hugh,  and 
Louise's  face  was  beaming. 

"  You  don't  mind,  Guinevere,"  Letitia  asked  inno- 
119 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

cently,  "  do  you?  I  want  to  settle  about  the  Opera 
to-night  with  Hugh.  Louise,  tell  Purfleet  to  order 
fresh  coffee  and  some  very  crisp  bacon.  Sir  Hugh  al- 
ways asks  for  that,  you  know."  And  when  the  maid 
had  retired,  my  sister  smiled.  "  Langthorpe  and  Hugh 
constantly  ride  together  early,  and  often  breakfast 
with  me  up  here.  It  is  not  at  all  unusual,  child,"  she 
said. 

My  brother-in-law  is  away  at  Newmarket  for  a  day 
or  two,  seeing  his  horses,  and  we  are  alone. 

I  had  conquered  my  sense  of  jar,  and  felt  a  shy  hap- 
piness when  Hugh,  tall  and  distinguished  in  his  perfect 
riding  clothes,  came  into  the  room. 

He  had  that  fresh,  exquisitely  soigne,  outdoor  look 
which  is  so  attractive,  and  Letitia's  dog  gave  little 
barks  of  welcome,  and  her  piping  bull-finch  set  up  his 
tiny  song,  and  Hugh's  dark-blue  eyes  were  glad  and 
laughing  like  a  boy's  as  he  greeted  us  in  his  casual, 
delightful  way. 

"  Purfleet  tells  me  my  bacon  is  coming,"  he  said,  as 
he  sat  down  at  the  little  table.  "  Have  you  told  your 
sister  how  I  dash  in  now  and  then  and  eat  you  out  of 
house  and  home?  " 

Our  breakfast  was  so  merry  —  the  change  and  relief 
after  the  sombre  and  often  thunderous  morning  meals 
at  home ! 

Letitia  and  Hugh  chaffed  about  everything  of  the 
night  before:  their  whole  set's  doings,  and  then  the  po- 
litical news  of  the  morning;  and  finally  they  began 
about  our  future  arrangements. 

"  Guinevere  is  only  going  to  be  allowed  to  stay  until 
Saturday,  you  know,  Hugh,  and  to-day  is  Tuesday. 
Just  as  a  favor  to  me,  think  out  four  days  of  amuse- 
ment for  her.  There  is  my  ball  to-morrow  night,  and 

120 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

Ada's  on  Thursday  —  we  must  go  to  —  but  I  can  get 
out  of  anything  to-night  and  Friday,  although  both  are 
filled  up,  if  you  can  devise  something  thrilling.  There 
is  a  moon,  and  it  might  be  nice  if  you  gave  those  dull 
Northumberland  neighbors  of  yours  a  dinner  on  one  of 
the  evenings,  at  Maidenhead,  and  we  had  a  river  party. 
The  son  rather  amuses  me  in  his  bucolic  way,  while  the 
sister  and  her  fiance  would  make  the  six.  Guinevere  has 
never  been  on  the  river  —  have  you,  dear?  " 

"  Never,"  I  agreed,  while  I  thrilled  at  the  picture 
this  called  up. 

"  We  can  motor  down  in  the  afternoon,"  said  Hugh. 
"  I'll  go  and  find  the  Northeys  when  I  leave.  It  is  a 
brilliant  idea.  They  are  only  up  for  Ascot,  and  do  not 
know  a  soul;  they  will  certainly  be  able  to  come,  I 
expect.  We  ought  to  have  a  jolly  day." 

"  That  is  settled,  then,  for  Friday,"  Letitia  affirmed. 
"  But  there  is  all  to-day  and  to-night.  You  have  often 
been  seen  at  the  Opera  with  me  before,  Hugh,  haven't 
you?  But  one  can't  talk  there,  in  peace.  Supposing 
you  and  Guinevere  motored  down  to  Richmond  with  a 
picnic  basket,  and  had  a  little  meal  about  seven  o'clock 
in  the  Park?  There  are  lots  of  nice  places.  You  could 
get  back  by  nine,  and  either,  or  both,  could  join  me  at 
the  Opera,  where  I  shall  go  in  my  box  with  Beatrice 
Trehearn." 

I  had  a  shrewd  suspicion  that  they  had  discussed  and 
arranged  the  whole  of  these  things  beforehand,  and  this 
comedy  of  Letitia's  suggestions  was  only  for  my  bene- 
fit. But  by  this  stage  some  feverish  excitement  was 
possessing  me,  and  I  no  longer  cared  whether  they  had 
or  had  not.  If  fate,  and  not  any  of  my  own  doings, 
had  thrown  this  chance  of  happiness  into  my  lap,  I 
would  be  a  fool  not  to  take  advantage  of  it.  So  I  ac- 

121 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

quiesced  in  everything  they  evolved  for  my  diversion, 
and  presently  Hugh  got  up  to  leave  us. 

"  We  are  all  lunching  at  Winnie's,  aren't  we  ?  "  my 
sister  said,  while  Hugh  kissed  her  hand.  "  Then  Guine- 
vere and  I  must  pay  some  calls ;  but  I  shall  drop  her  at 
Victoria,  and  you  can  pick  her  up  there  and  return  her 
safely  here  by  nine  o'clock.  It  will  hardly  be  dark  then, 
and,  as  I  said  before,  there  is  a  moon." 

When  he  had  left  us,  Letitia  came  over  close  to  me 
as  I  stood  looking  out  of  the  window,  and  put  her  hand 
on  my  shoulder. 

"  We  will  take  a  thick  chiffon  veil,  Guinevere,"  she 
said,  "  in  the  electric  brougham.  Hugh  will  be  sure  to 
have  put  in  an  extra  coat  for  you  in  his  motor.  He  will 
probably  drive  himself,  so  you  won't  be  bothered  with 
a  chauffeur.  You  ought  to  have  an  enchanting  after- 
noon, dear,  and  any  one  of  us  would  give  half  a  life- 
time to  be  in  your  place  —  with  Hugh  —  not  schemed 
for,  and  caught  —  but  eager  and  making  all  the  diffi- 
culties smooth  himself.  It  was  hardly  my  brain  which 
devised  this  charming  outing  for  you,  you  may  guess ! 
But  appearances  must  be  kept  up."  Then  she  laughed 
and  went  off  to  dress,  leaving  me  standing  looking  out 
upon  the  Park,  where  the  trees  seemed  to  have  taken  on 
a  fresh  note  of  green. 


CHAPTER  XII 

days  are  marked  out  in  one's  life  as 
blessed  by  the  gods;  but  this  one  at  first 
seemed  as  if  it  would  not  be  so.  The  few 
moments  while  I  put  on  my  veil  at  Victoria 
Station  waiting-room,  after  Letitia  had  left  me,  were 
exceedingly  unpleasant  to  me.  I  felt  humiliated  when  I 
ought  to  have  taken  it  all  as  a  delicious  escapade  and 
joke.  But  I  trembled  and  shook,  and  felt  hot  and  cold, 
and  as  if  every  human  being  knew  me  and  intended  to 
tell  Humphrey. 

Hugh  did  not  keep  me  waiting  a  single  second,  and 
wore  goggles  himself  and  was  unrecognizable  as  he 
helped  me  into  a  big  coat  of  his ;  and  we  got  off  almost 
wordless,  and  spun  along  among  the  traffic.  I  have 
hardly  ever  been  in  a  motor  before,  and  the  fast  pas- 
sage through  the  air  gave  me  pleasure  and  steadied  my 
nerves.  But  I  felt  I  had  not  a  single  thing  to  say,  and 
we  hardly  exchanged  a  sentence  until  we  turned  in  to 
Richmond  Park.  Then  he  looked  down  at  me,  and  asked 
in  an  anxious  voice  if  I  were  well  —  I  had  been  so  very 
pale  at  luncheon  at  Lady  Latrobe's,  and  not  daring 
even  to  look  at  me  much  had  irritated  him  so. 

"  Yes,  I  am  quite  well,"  I  said,  and  fell  into  silence 
again. 

I  could  not  see  the  expression  of  his  face  under  that 
mask,  and  presently  we  stopped,  by  a  great  clump  of 
trees,  and  an  old  groom  came  forward  and  touched  his 
hat.  Hugh  pointed  out  to  him  a  modest  hamper  and 
some  rugs. 
9 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

"  When  you  have  found  a  perfect  place,  William, 
come  back  and  fetch  these,"  he  said.  Then,  turning  to 
me,  he  drew  off  the  goggles  and  I  saw  his  dear  eyes  were 
eager  and  anxious,  and  that  his  habitual  look  of  perfect 
assurance  and  whimsical  calm  had  left  his  face. 

"  No  one  could  possibly  know  you  in  that  veil,"  he 
told  me,  "  and  William  will  find  us  a  secluded  spot ;  he 
has  been  my  London  head  groom  since  I  left  Eton,  and 
is  as  discreet  as  the  grave.  Do  not  be  the  least  dis- 
turbed." 

Still  I  was  silent,  too  nervous  to  speak,  and  it  seemed 
an  eternity  before  the  old  man  came  back  with  a  smiling 
face,  announcing  that  he  had  discovered  the  very  thing, 
and,  preceding  us,  carrying  the  basket  and  wraps,  he 
led  us  to  a  giant  tree  close  to  a  secluded  copse,  with  not 
a  soul  in  sight ;  and  then,  without  a  word,  left  us. 

"  He  will  take  the  car  a  little  way  on,  and  wait  in  it 
until  I  call  him,"  Hugh  said.  "  And  now,  won't  you 
let  me  undo  that  thunder-cloud  you  are  enveloped  in, 
that  I  may  see  if  the  sun  is  shining  at  all  beneath  it 
for  me?  " 

I  let  him  unwind  the  veil,  and  I  suppose  my  face, 
when  he  did  see  it,  showed  some  of  the  emotions  which 
were  coursing  through  me,  for  he  exclaimed  in  pain : 

"  Darling !  You  have  hated  coming !  What  is  it  ? 
Oh,  you  make  me  so  unhappy.  Tell  me,  Guinevere." 

He  arranged  the  rug  and  a  cushion,  and  I  sat  down, 
and  he  threw  himself  beside  me. 

"I  —  cannot  say  what  it  is,"  I  faltered.  "  I  ought 
to  be  so  happy,  but  I  am  so  foolish.  The  having  to 
take  all  these  precautions  has  fretted  something  —  I 
cannot  breathe  — "  and  I  put  out  my  gray-gloved 
hands  unconsciously,  and  he  seized  them  in  his  and 
kissed  them  passionately. 

124. 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

"  I  must  make  you  forget  all  that,"  he  cried.  "  Do 
not  let  us  spoil  the  divine  hours  to  be  by  these  foolish 
sensations.  Darling,  do  you  not  believe  that  I  will  take 
care  of  you  ?  If  it  ever;  need  be,  I  will  protect  you  with 
my  life.  There  is  not  the  slightest  danger  now ;  we  had 
merely  to  be  careful  in  London  because  I  am  so  tire- 
somely  well  known ;  but  here,  under  the  green  trees,  we 
are  as  free  as  in  the  park  at  home.  Guinevere,  won't 
jou  look  at  me  less  coldly  and  like  a  wounded  doe? 
Those  great  gray  eyes  of  yours  are  full  of  shadows,  and 
your  sweet  lips  are  set." 

I  could  not  resist  such  pleading,  of  course,  with  him 
so  near  me,  and  so  tender,  and  so  full  of  that  nameless, 
compelling  attraction  which  cannot  be  described  in 
words.  Every  fear  left  me.  I  only  felt  a  strange  thrill 
of  some  new  exquisite  emotion,  and  I  leaned  back 
against  the  old  tree  and  closed  my  eyes. 

Hugh's  hands  were  firmly  clasped  together  and  his 
head  lowered  and  turned  from  me  when  I  opened  them 
again ;  and  his  voice  was  rather  hoarse  as  he  said : 

"  I  am  going  to  show  you  to-day  that  I  have  some 
control  over  myself.  I  will  try  not  even  to  touch  your 
hand.  It  is  so  good  to  be  with  you  —  that  must  be 
enough." 

Then  he  began  to  unpack  the  basket,  and  first  got 
out  the  kettle  and  spirit-lamp,  and  together  we  ar- 
ranged things  and  made  the  tea. 

"  We  have  sandwiches  and  fruit,  and  a  bottle  of  wine 
for  later  on,"  he  informed  me  gaily.  "  But  our  picnic 
has  to  begin  with  tea ;  it  is  past  five  o'clock." 

It  seemed  so  sweet  to  sit  there  together  and  "  play 
house,"  as  Bob  and  I  used  in  the  woods  long  ago,  when 
we  were  children;  and  Hugh  was  so  tender  and  gentle, 
and  made  me  feel  at  last  perfectly  safe  and  joyous. 

125 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

And  when  we  had  finished  we  sat  leaning  our  backs 
against  the  tree,  surveying  the  beautiful  green  world 
with  the  shadows  becoming  longer,  and  far  away  in  the 
distance  a  herd  of  deer. 

"  I  want  you  to  tell  me  a  number  of  things,  Hugh," 
I  told  him ;  "  what  life  means  to  you  —  and  what  you 
think  I  should  try  and  make  it  mean  to  me.  Because 
since  I  have  been  here  these  two  days  with  Letitia  I 
seem  to  realize  that  all  my  points  of  view  are  shut  in 
and  out  of  proportion.  I  should  like  you  to  teach  me 
new  aspects.  Will  you,  friend?  " 

"  When  your  voice  is  so  soft,  I  lose  my  head  and 
become  intoxicated,"  he  answered  fondly.  "  But  I  will 
try,"  and  he  turned  himself  so  that  he  could  look 
straight  into  my  eyes.  I  daresay  he  is  not  so  very 
handsome,  really,  but  for  me  he  seems  to  have  the  most 
beautiful  face  in  the  world. 

"  You  must  first  of  all  look  at  everything  with  jus- 
tice and  common-sense,  and  never  be  influenced  by  cus- 
tom and  convention  in  your  judgment  of  a  circum- 
stance, because  then  you  are  not  being  true  to  yourself 
but  are  merely  echoing  some  other  person  or  persons' 
view.  Just  now,  for  instance,  when  you  were  so  nervous 
and  jarred,  it  was  only  because  all  the  conventional 
currents  were  weighing  upon  you,  and  not  that  you 
were  doing  a  thing  you  need  be  uncomfortable  about. 
You  were  accepting  the  seeming,  not  the  reality." 

'*  Yes,  I  know  it.  I  will  try  to  be  different  in  future. 
Now  tell  me,  what  does  life  mean  to  you?  " 

:'  When  I  am  with  you,  it  feels  like  heaven  —  as  if 
everything  was  complete  " —  and  his  voice  grew  deep 
again  — "  as  if  I  were  at  rest  —  a  sensation  I  have 
never  felt  when  with  any  other  woman,  though  I  have 
thought  I  loved  some  of  them  well  enough,  for  various 

126 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

reasons,  for  short  whiles.  But  in  all  my  years  up  to 
now  I  have  been  unconsciously  looking  for  something  — • 
I  had  had,  hundreds  of  times,  the  sensation  that  I  was 
waiting  in  expectancy  for  some  great  thing,  and  that 
when  it  came  it  would  be  the  keystone  of  my  arch.  The 
consciousness  of  this  has  often  made  me  restless  with 
longing,  for  it  seemed  that  my  nameless  want  would 
never  be  satisfied." 

He  picked  some  blades  of  grass  and  plaited  them 
absently,  looking  down,  and  then  he  went  on  again 
dreamily : 

"  I  was  hardly  aware  that  the  desire  was  for  a  mate 
—  a  mate  for  my  soul,  I  mean  —  and  then  I  met  you, 
Guinevere,  and  I  knew  you  were  the  thing  I  had  dreamed 
of  for  all  these  years.  If  I  could  have  you  with  me 
always,  there  is  not  a  single  pleasure  or  duty  of  my 
life  that  I  would  not  accomplish  better  —  you  would 
give  meaning  to  all  my  aims.  In  spite  of  these  kind 
women,  like  your  sister  and  her  friends,  who  have  al- 
ways been  so  good  to  me,  I  have  often  been  hideously 
lonely,  darling;  and  that  is  why  I  have  spent  months 
by  myself  at  Minton  Dremont,  and  traveling  in  out- 
landish countries  —  one  is  less  solitary  alone  at  times 
than  with  companions  who  do  not  feel  all  one's  moods." 

"  And  you  think  I  should,  Hugh?  "  His  words  made 
me  so  happy.  "  I  hope  I  should  understand  you  al- 
ways, even  the  sides  of  you  I  did  not  quite  like  in  the 
beginning." 

He  turned  again  and  looked  at  me,  and  a  ghost  of  a 
cloud  crossed  his  eyes. 

"  Yes  —  a  woman,  if  she  is  wise,  should  try  to  grasp 
that  everything  which  is  strong  has  aspects  which  repel, 
and  then  she  can  face  them,  or  shut  her  eyes  to  them, 
as  she  thinks  best." 

127 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

I  thought  of  Letitia's  words  once  upon  this  subject, 
and  I  was  silent;  and  he  came  a  little  nearer,  and  his 
voice  had  pleading  in  it  and  a  caress : 

"  Guinevere,  do  not  think  of  all  those  tilings  —  ever 
again.  As  long  as  you  love  me,  they  can  never  reenter 
my  life  —  they  were  my  straws  which  I  caught  at ;  now 
I  am  on  firm  land." 

"  Oh,  my  dear !  "  I  whispered  to  him.  "  It  is  only 
because  I  was  silly  and,  as  I  said,  shut  in  that  I  ever 
criticised  you.  For  me  love  is  such  an  immense  and 
divine  thing,  I  could  never  have  felt  any  of  it  for  any 
one  —  only  you  —  but  of  course  I  know  men  must  be 
different,  or  the  world  could  not  go  on." 

He  took  and  kissed  my  hands  again,  as  though  he 
could  not  help  himself. 

"  Once  in  India,  I  met  an  old  Brahmin  who  explained 
to  me  a  theory  that  souls  go  on  in  a  long  series  of  re- 
births, as  half-incomplete  creatures,  never  being  satis- 
fied, until  at  last  they  meet  the  other  part  of  them- 
selves, and  become  a  whole  soul  in  bliss ;  and  when  this 
occurs,  they  find  perfect  happiness  and  it  is  their  last 
life  on  this  planet.  And  afterwards  they  float,  a  com- 
pleted whole,  into  realms  of  divine  peace." 

"  What  a  beautiful  idea !  "  I  sighed.  "  Let  us  pray 
that  it  is  true." 

"  I  know  it  is,"  he  responded  tenderly,  "  because  we 
are  certaiiJy  those  two  happy  souls,  and  —  listen  to 
this  vow,  Guinevere  —  I  will  never  break  with  you ; 
if  we  ever  part,  it  will  be  you  who  will  throw  me 
from  you,  not  I  who  will  leave  you.  For  me  there 
can  never  be  another  woman  as  my  soul's  mate  on 
earth." 

A  shiver  of  cold  ran  through  me,  and  I  suddenly 
touched  his  strong  hands  in  fear. 

128 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

"  Hugh !  Oh,  I  hope  to  God  I  shall  never  have  to  do 
that!" 

"  How  pale  you  have  grown,  sweetheart,"  he  ex- 
claimed in  distress.  "  And  I  may  not  kiss  life  back  into 
those  white  roses,  your  cheeks  — "  and  then  he  stopped, 
suddenly,  angry  with  himself  for  this  outburst  of  his 
emotions. 

I  knew  he  had  meant  —  as  I  mean  always  —  never 
to  let  passion  come  near  us  to  scorch  the  joy  we  may 
have  with  its  splendid  breath. 

"  I  am  going  to  bring  you  some  books  to-morrow," 
he  went  on  quickly,  in  another  tone.  "  I  have  not  had 
them  specially  bound,  as  I  would  have  wished,  for  you, 
so  that  they  may  attract  no  attention.  There  are  some 
whimsical  things,  and  some  things  of  sentiment,  and 
some  philosophies ;  and  I  have  marked  the  places  I  want 
you  to  notice  most;  and  then  sometimes,  when  I  can 
manage  to  come  over  to  Redwood,  we  can  discuss 
them." 

"  I  shall  love  that." 

After  this,  he  became  gay  and  made  me  laugh;  and 
we  told  each  other  light-hearted  things,  and  arranged 
how  we  would  play  our  little  comedy  before  all  his 
friends  without  my  having  any  jarring  backward 
thoughts. 

"  It  makes  it  sporting  and  amusing,  if  you  can  look 
at  it  like  that,"  he  said,  "  and  draws  us  closer  together 
to  know  we  have  a  secret  shared  by  only  Letitia,  who 
always  has  a  twinkle  in  her  eye." 

"  Letitia  is  a  dear,"  I  rejoined.  *'  She  comes  like  a 
breath  of  sane  common-sense,  and  calms  all  altruism 
and  nonsense." 

*'  They  are  a  perfectly  matched  couple.  You  don't 
know  Langthorpe  as  I  do.  He  has  realized  as  com- 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

pletely  as  she  has  that  they  must  live  each  their  own 
lives,  and  they  get  on  to  perfection  when  they  are  to- 
gether. There  has  never  been  the  least  scandal  about 
either  of  them :  they  are  gentlepeople  both." 

"  Yes,  no  one  ought  to  make  scandals,"  I  agreed. 

Just  then,  in  the  distance,  some  people  passed,  and 
for  an  instant  I  was  tempted  to  put  on  my  veil;  but 
Hugh  placed  his  hand  firmly  on  my  wrist,  and  his  voice 
was  even  a  little  stern. 

"  Guinevere,"  he  said,  "  are  you  not  going  to  trust 
me,  child?  When  there  is  the  slightest  necessity  for 
caution,  I  will  tell  you ;  I  implore  you  not  to  start  thus 
like  a  frightened  deer." 

And  all  I  could  say  was : 

"  Forgive  me,  Hugh."  It  was  such  comfort  to  find 
him  so  firm  and  strong. 

"  I  am  going  to  call  William  now,"  he  said,  "  and  we 
will  go  on  to  another  place  and  take  a  little  walk  —  if 
that  would  please  you,  darling  —  and  have  our  little 
dinner  on  our  return.  It  is  nearly  half-past  six." 

Oh!  how  unspeakably  happy  we  were  after  that! 
Gay  and  sweet  and  friendly.  Hugh  never  once  let  him- 
self go  to  frighten  me  or  make  me  remember  I  must 
also  hold  myself;  and  at  last  we  threw  stones  into  a 
pond  like  schoolboys  and  made  them  skip;  and  I  was 
so  proud  to  show  him  that,  with  all  my  hopelessly  fem- 
inine ways  which  Humphrey  so  deplores,  I  am  yet  able 
to  throw  a  stone  like  a  boy,  the  one  thing  Bob  used  to 
be  particular  about,  teaching  me  ever  since  I  was  six 
years  old. 

Then  we  joined  William  again,  and  found  a  new 
place  for  our  dinner  of  foie  gras  sandwiches  and  lovely 
strawberries  and  nectarines  and  grapes  ;  and  we  laughed 
over  our  bottle  of  champagne,  whose  cork  refused  at 

130 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

first  to  come  out  —  and  altogether  were  merry  as  chil- 
dren at  a  feast.  Presently,  when  the  sun  set  and  the 
moon  rose,  there  was  still  a  crimson  glow  in  the  west  of 
a  cloudless  greenish  sky. 

"  It  will  take  us  half  an  hour  to  get  back  to  Norfolk 
Street,  darling,"  Hugh  said.  "  Alas !  we  soon  ought  to 
start." 

"  I  shall  not  go  to  the  Opera.  I  could  not  —  after 
this  —  or  the  ball  either  that  Letitia  is  going  on  to ; 
but  you  had  better  join  her  —  don't  you  think  so?  " 
I  remarked. 

And  he  quite  agreed.  So  at  last  we  packed  our 
basket  and  let  William  put  it  in  the  motor,  and  then 
sat  for  a  few  moments  longer,  looking  out  on  the  ex- 
quisite scene. 

That  anything  so  peaceful,  so  rural,  and  so  stately 
could  be  so  near  that  great,  roaring  city  seemed  impos- 
sible. 

Lights  of  evening  opalescence  were  turning  the  vivid- 
ness of  day  into  dreamland,  and  all  was  peace  and 
silence. 

"  I  have  never  been  so  happy  in  all  my  life,  Guine- 
vere," Hugh  whispered,  his  voice  strangely  moved. 
"  Say  you  love  me  once  more  before  we  go." 

And  I  said  it,  trembling  and  not  daring  to  look  at 
him;  and  then  we  got  into  the  car  and  spoke  no  more 
until  we  reached  Victoria  again,  when  we  whispered  a 
soft  good  night.  And  soon  I  arrived  at  my  sister's 
house  in  a  cab,  as  though  I  had  come  from  a  train. 

And  until  midnight  I  sat  at  my  bedroom  window  — 
it  is  above  Letitia's  boudoir  and  looks  over  the  park, 
too  — •  and  my  mind  was  filled  with  j  oy  and  peace  such 
as  I  have  never  known. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

early  post  this  morning  bromght  me  a  letter 
from  Hugh  — the  first  note  even  I  have  ever 
had  that  was  not  for  any  one  to  read  but  my- 
self. He  has  the  art  of  writing  letters,  and  I 
lay  in  bed  and  read  it  over  and  over,  and  thrilled  with 
delight.  He  told  me  again  how  happy  he  had  been 
with  me  in  Richmond  Park,  and  how  he  loved  me.  A 
woman,  I  am  sure,  cannot  hear  this  fact  too  often  for 
her  pleasure!  And,  finally,  he  suggested  that,  as  it 
was  certain  to  be  a  fine  day,  if  it  were  possible  for  me 
to  come  to  the  top  of  the  Serpentine,  where  the  foun- 
tains are,  he  would  meet  me  there  at  twelve,  and  we 
could  then  strike  into  the  heart  of  the  beautiful  Ken- 
sington Gardens,  where  there  would  be  no  one  but 
nurses  and  children,  and  where  we  could  certainly  find 
some  isolated  chairs,  where  we  could  sit  and  talk.  We 
were  lunching  with  him  and  a  party,  later,  at  the  newly 
opened  Ritz. 

This  plan  seemed  quite  possible,  and  at  twelve  Le- 
titia  left  me  to  take  a  cab  at  Marshall  and  Shelgrove's ; 
and  with  renewed  joy  I  saw  Hugh  walking  slowly  up 
and  down  by  the  lily  basins  when  I  arrived  at  my  des- 
tination. 

I  had  no  idea  of  the  great  beauty  of  Kensington 
Gardens.  When  we  got  on  to  the  fine  turf  and  wan- 
dered among  the  old  trees,  it  seemed  an  enchantment  of 
peace  and  verdure,  with  no  one  to  worry  us  but  the 
friendly  sheep.  We  found  two  chairs  far  away  from 

132 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

any  others,  and  there  sat  in  contentment.  A  new  phase 
had  been  reached  between  us;  we  turned  glad  eyes  to 
each  other  often,  but  we  did  not  speak  much  at  first. 
I  was  delighted  my  gray  muslin  pleased  Hugh,  with  the 
white  roses  stuck  in  my  belt. 

"  I  love  your  points,  Guinevere,"  he  said.  "  You 
are  as  fine  as  a  thoroughbred  horse  —  so  slender  and 
graceful,  with  your  little  wrists  and  ankles,  and  that 
long,  rounded  throat ;  there  is  something  fresh  and  vir- 
ginal about  you.  No  one  would  ever  take  you  for  a 
married  woman  —  you  are  nothing  but  a  slip  of  a  girl. 
My  baby  girl !  " 

"  But  I  am  thirty-one  now,  Hugh,"  I  told  him,  let- 
ting the  possessive  case  he  had  used  pass,  with  a  thrill. 
"  It  is  ridiculous  of  you !  My  birthday  was  on  the 
fourth  of  June." 

But  he  only  smiled  fondly,  while  he  went  on  detailing 
the  things  I  possess  which  charm  him.  I  never  knew 
before  I  had  attractions  like  this,  and  I  felt  I  was  al- 
most purring  with  satisfaction,  as  Petrov  does  when  I 
recount  to  him  the  glories  of  his  velvet  fur. 

"  Your  little  neat  h^ad,  like  a  maiden  Diana,"  Hugh 
whispered,  "  and  those  wise  gray  eyes !  I  love  to  watch 
all  the  moods  that  mirror  in  them;  that  look  of  rebel- 
lion and  smouldering,  suppressed  pain  is  leaving  them 
now,  darling,  I  am  glad  to  say." 

"  I  am  so  happy,  Hugh !  " 

"  And  so  am  I !  " 

Then  we  laughed  at  nothing  at  all.  Heavens!  how 
altogether  childish  people  become  when  they  are  ia 
love!  Perhaps  it  is  because  they  are  taken  up  so  near 
to  heaven,  and  there  things  are  simple  and  sweet. 

"  It  will  be  such  fun  at  lunch.  I  have  had  the  ex- 
traordinary self-sacrifice  to  put  that  known  coureur  d&s 

133 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

dames,  Freddy  Burgoyne,  beside  you,  because  I  have 
noticed  that  he  has  already  shown  signs  of  weariness 
when  with  the  lady  to  whom  at  the  moment  he  is  play- 
ing the  role  of  cavalier  servante;  and  so  the  whole  set 
will  vibrate  with  interest  to  see  if  he  turns  to  you,  and 
all  possible  scent  regarding  you  and  me  will  be  warded 
off.  A  French  fellow  once  wrote  some  very  sensible 
advice  upon  this  matter,  which,  however,  I  believe  he 
added,  human  beings  were  very  seldom  able  to  take.  I 
think  the  sentence  ran:  *A  pair  of  lovers  may  enjoy 
one  another  in  peace  if  both  are  able  to  play  the  comedy 
of  interests  elsewhere.'  " 

"  And  he  thought  that  would  be  difficult  ?  "  I  asked, 
putting  back  my  mauve  parasol. 

"  Of  course,"  said  Hugh.  "  The  innate  jealousy  in 
man  would  make  it  almost  impossible  for  him  to  bear 
seeing  his  lady  apparently  interested  in  another ;  and  a 
woman  also  would  not  like  it." 

"  N-o,  I  suppose  not,"  I  admitted. 

"  That  is  why  I  said  I  had  been  extraordinarily  self- 
sacrificing  in  intending  to  put  Freddy  at  your  side  at 
luncheon.  We  ought  to  try  if  we  can  follow  the  French- 
man's advice." 

"  Then  you,  too,  will  have  to  stimulate  interest  in 
some  one?  "  I  inquired,  and  I  was  conscious  of  an  un- 
pleasant twinge.  The  Frenchman  evidently  knew  hu- 
man nature ! 

"  Yes,  I  am  going  to  look  at  an  American  lady !  " 

'*  The  one  Letitia  let  them  think  you  saw  at  Mit- 
ley?  "  I  blurted  out,  before  I  thought  what  I  was  say- 
ing; and  he  turned  and  glanced  at  me  questioningly 
and  almost  hardly. 

"  They  have  been  discussing  me  again,  have  they?  " 
he  demanded,  and  he  frowned. 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

*'  You  are  a  tremendous  interest  to  ever j  one,  you 
know." 

"  They  are  scorpions,  most  of  them."  And  then  he 
laughed.  "  But,  after  all,  they  are  awfully  good  to  me, 
and  it  is  only  since  I  have  known  you,  Guinevere,  that  I 
ever  felt  disgusted  with  them." 

"  I  do  not  wish  that  you  should  do  that.  I  would 
hate  to  think  I  had  ever  come  between  you  and  your 
friends." 

His  face  had  grown  as  cynical  as  when  I  first  knew 
Aim :  it  hurt  me.  He  tilted  his  chair  back  and  laughed 
shortly ;  then  he  looked  at  me  and,  I  suppose,  saw  that 
I  was  troubled,  for  he  put  out  his  hand  and  touched 
mine  gently,  while  his  dark-blue  eyes  melted  in  tender- 
ness. 

"  Let  us  forget  all  about  them,  darling,  and  all  thesd 
hateful  things  of  the  world.  When  you  and  I  are  to- 
gether, let  us  keep  to  ourselves,  and  our  own  interests. 
Yours  are  enough  for  me,  and  I  want  to  make  mine 
enough  for  you." 

"  Indeed  they  are,  Hugh.  And  I  dislike  small  things. 
I  want  to  hear  all  about  when  you  were  a  boy,  and  what 
you  did  at  Oxford,  and  why  you  have  never  gone 
into  Parliament  —  and  oh !  everything  that  concerns 
you." 

Joy  filled  his  glance  again,  and  he  told  me  numbers 
of  dear  old  reminiscences,  and  then  he  said: 

"  I  never  went  into  Parliament  because  it  seems  to 
me  no  longer  the  place  for  a  gentleman.  I  have  not  the 
temperament  which  could  ever  let  me  trim  my  coat  or 
alter  my  opinions  at  a  chief's  bidding,  and  I  have  not 
brains  enough,  I  dare  say,  to  be  independent  and  a 
leader  myself.  All  we  landowners  can  do  now  is  to 
play  the  game  in  the  country  and  try  to  keep  up  the 

135 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

prestige  of  our  order,  and  do  our  duty  by  the  people 
and  those  dependent  upon  us." 

"  Well,  it  is  a  fine  aim.  I  am  glad  you  are  not  mixed 
up  in  hateful  politics,"  I  responded.  "It  must  be  good 
enough  to  stand  on  your  marble  terrace  and  look  out 
at  the  beautiful  park  at  Minton  Dremont,  and  know  it 
is  all  yours,  and  has  been  your  family's  for  so  many 
hundreds  of  years." 

His  eyes  clouded  again  for  a  second  and  grew  a  little 
sad. 

"  Yes,  but  they  are  such  rotters  who  will  come  after 
me  —  my  cousin's  boys,  you  know.  The  thought  of 
them  hits  me  in  the  face  sometimes,  and  used  almost  to 
drive  me  into  marrying." 

A  strange  feeling  came  over  me :  I  could  not  analyze 
it,  it  had  in  it  pain  and  joy  and  —  unrest. 

But  the  quiet  sheep  browsed  near  us,  and  the 
warm  air  of  the  June  morning  seemed  to  tell  me  to 
banish  all  disturbing  thoughts  and  live  only  in  the 
present. 

"  I  hope  Algernon  will  acquire  some  of  this  feeling, 
Hugh,"  I  said.  "  At  present,  Redwood  means  nothing 
to  him  except  a  hunting  centre;  he  has  no  possessive 
pride  in  it  as  his  home ;  and  he  dislikes  the  house,  I  be- 
lieve." 

"  It  is  a  most  wonderful  old  place,  but  it  is  gloomy," 
Hugh  admitted ;  "  and  then  he  was  not  accustomed  to 
it  from  his  birth  —  that  makes  all  the  difference.  The 
General  loves  it,  doesn't  he  ?  " 

"  Yes,  in  a  way ;  but  lately  he  has  grumbled  at  every- 
thing there.  I  believe  myself  it  is  saturated  and  haunted 
with  the  horrors  of  the  past,  and  no  one  who  lived  there 
would  ever  find  content.  But  I  will  not  say  this  again, 
Hugh.  Don't  let  us  talk  of  Redwood.  I  want  to  forget 

136 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

everything  for  the  time  but  that  we  are  here  and  — 
free." 

"  You  must  go  back  on  Saturday?  "  he  asked  anx- 
iously. 

"  Yes,  indeed.  It  was  the  greatest  piece  of  good 
fortune  obtaining  this  much  leave.  It  is  the  first  time 
since  I  have  been  married  that  I  have  been  allowed  to 
visit  Letitia  in  London." 

"  Then  I  must  see  you  all  the  time,  darling ;  every 
moment  is  precious.  After  lunch  to-day  I  propose  we 
go  down  to  Hurlingham  —  there  is  a  polo  match  or 
something,  and  we  could  contrive  to  get  away  by  the 
river.  It  is  such  a  second-class  crowd  there,  we  might 
not  be  observed ;  and  in  any  case  I  will  divert  the  ideas 
of  our  intimates  at  lunch,  so  that  if  they  did  chance 
upon  us  they  will  not  think  anything  but  that  I  am 
being  polite  to  Letitia's  sister."  And  this  made  him 
laugh.  "  Polite  to  Letitia's  sister !  When  I  should 
like  to  shout  from  the  house-tops,  '  I  adore  this  darling 
lady,  I  worship  her  as  a  queen,  I  would  be  proud  to 
possess  her  for  my  own  before  the  whole  world ! '  Oh, 
the  irony  of  it  all !  " 

"  Hugh !  "  I  gasped  —  he  had  moved  me  so. 

Then  he  went  on  more  gently,  making  the  most  ex- 
quisite love  to  me,  until  I  neither  knew  nor  cared  for 
time  or  place  —  or  fate.  All  the  earth  and  trees  and 
sky,  even  the  very  sheep,  seemed  to  be  fused  in  the 
glamour  of  the  summer  morning,  and  the  voice  of  my 
beloved. 

And  at  last  a  sense  of  intoxication  stole  over  us  both, 
and  it  seemed  as  if  we  must  fall  into  each  other's  arms. 
I  have  never  allowed  myself  to  imagine  what  it  would  be 
like  if  Hugh  should  really  kiss  me,  but  the  vivid  thought 
would  come  to  me  there  in  the  green  shade,  and  so  I 

137 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

jumped  up  hurriedly  and  asked  him  that  we  should 
walk.  I  must  banish  such  feelings,  I  knew.  He  knew 
it,  too,  and  made  no  objection,  and,  moving  along,  we 
grew  more  masters  of  ourselves. 

Then,  finally,  he  put  me  into  a  cab  at  a  Bayswater 
exit,  to  return  to  Norfolk  Street,  and  then  went  back 
into  the  Gardens  himself  to  walk  rapidly  to  the  drive 
going  to  Prince's  Gate,  where  he  said  his  motor  would 
be  waiting.  And  when  we  met  in  the  hall  of  the  Ritz 
for  luncheon  he  greeted  me  coolly,  as  though  we  had 
not  seen  each  other  since  the  day  before  at  Lady  La- 
trobe's. 

"  It  was  perfectly  splendid  your  not  coming  to  the 
Opera  last  night,  Guinevere,"  Letitia  told  me  as  we 
drove  along.  "  Hugh's  arriving  alone  like  that,  and 
then  talking  to  first  Beatrice  Trehearn  and  then  Win- 
nie, on  the  opposite  side  of  the  house,  has  let  them  all 
sleep  in  peace !  " 

Letitia's  late  attraction  —  and  the  Duchess's,  too,  I 
understood !  —  Mr.  Burgoyne,  was  a  most  agreeable 
person  and  appeared  glad  to  devote  himself  to  me,  the 
lady  he  is  at  present  amusing  not  being  of  the  party; 
and  I  felt  pleased  that  I  seemed  to  be  more  successfully 
playing  my  part  than  Hugh  was  his,  for  I  could  see  he 
was  bored  with  his  lovely  American,  whose  name  I  did 
not  hear,  although  she  was  most  beautiful  and  bril- 
liant. But  his  dear  eyes  wandered  now  and  then  in  my 
direction,  and  once  he  caught  my  eye  and  raised  his 
brow  with  a  whimsical  question  in  it,  as  much  as  to  say, 
"  Aren't  you  overdoing  it,  Guinevere?  " 

And  now  I  am  resting  before  dressing  for  the  ball; 
and  our  afternoon  at  Hurlingham,  where  we  were  only 
able  to  get  off  alone  for  a  very  short  time,  has  given 
me  something  to  think  about. 

138 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

Hugh  was  restless,  not  as  he  was  in  the  morning  or  at 
our  divine  picnic  dinner  last  night.  The  pupils  of  his 
dear  blue  eyes  were  dilated,  and  he  seemed  not  to  be 
able  to  keep  to  any  subject  for  long.  He  reproached 
me,  too,  about  Freddy  Burgoyne,  and  I  am  not  sure  it 
was  all  in  play. 

But  he  is  coming  to  dine  here  before  the  ball  to-night, 
and  perhaps  during  the  evening  we  may  have  some 
chance  of  speech.  I  feel  rather  reckless.  It  is  all  a 
wild  fret. 


How  things  go  on !  A  fiery  spirit  like  love  cannot  be 
kept  at  one  level,  it  seems.  I  ought  to  have  known  this, 
of  course.  Well,  I  know  it  now,  but  I  am  going  to 
continue  to  throw  dust  in  my  own  eyes.  I  will  not  look 
ahead.  I  am  living  at  last,  breathing  every  moment  of 
the  vital  days,  and  a  quivering  excitemeat  possesses  me. 

Hugh  and  I  were  not  near  each  other  at  dinner,  and 
when  he  came  up  to  me  rather  too  eagerly  afterward 
in  the  ballroom,  which  had  been  built  out  over  the  space 
to  the  railings  in  Park  Lane,  Letitia  joined  us  imme- 
diately. 

"  Hugh,"  I  heard  her  whisper  to  him,  "  for  Heaven's 
sake,  do  not  be  a  fool!  It  has  all  gone  so  splendidly 
up  to  this  —  don't  spoil  it,  or  I  won't  help  you  any 
more."  And  she  laughed  and  took  him  off  with  her. 
But  she  made  it  up  to  us  at  the  end  of  the  evening  by 
going  in  to  a  second  supper  with  him  herself,  and  then 
coming  over  to  me,  who  happened  to  be  sitting  with 
her  admirer,  Lord  Albert  Mansfield,  and  we  four  supped 
for  a  long  time,  having  rather  changed  partners.  Then 
she  whispered,  when  we  got  out  into  the  hall  : 

"  Come  up  into  my  sitting-room,  Guinevere ;  most  of 
10  139 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

those  who  matter  have  gone,  and  we  won't  be  missed 
for  a  few  minutes.  I  am  dead  tired,  and  I  want  a 
cigarette." 

And  when  we  were  there  she  went  on  into  her  bed- 
room, and  as  she  shut  that  door  Hugh  opened  the  one 
we  had  entered  by  and  came  toward  me,  his  eyes  blaz- 
ing and  his  hands  outstretched. 

"  Darling !  "  he  gasped  passionately  —  but  I  shrank 
away  in  fear.  The  obviousness  of  the  way  we  had  been 
left  alone  again  oppressed  me.  It  jarred  upon  me  to  a 
point  that  I  was  cold. 

Pain  came  into  his  face,  and  he  dropped  his  hands. 
Then  my  heart  melted  immediately,  and  a  wild  excite- 
ment leapt  up. 

"  Forgive  me,"  he  pleaded,  "  but  the  strain  of  the 
day  has  driven  me  mad.  Guinevere,  don't  you  love  me 
any  more,  that  you  shrink  away  like  this  ?  " 

I  leaned  against  the  mantelpiece  and  I  clasped  my 
hands  tight. 

"  Yes,"  I  gasped,  "  I  love  you  too  much.  Hugh,  I 
asked  you  to  take  care  of  me  in  the  beginning,  when 
you  made  me  tell  you  first.  We  are  rushing  along  a 
torrent  now.  Oh !  let  us  try  to  help  each  other  to  keep 
from  the  weir  as  long  as  we  can !  "  I  was  trembling  so 
I  could  not  go  on. 

He  came  close  and  stood  beside  me,  and  he  was  very 
pale. 

"  It  is  all  absolutely  impossible,"  he  said  hoarsely. 
"  I  am  a  man,  and  you  are  a  woman  —  we  are  not 
saints  in  story-books  or  blocks  of  wood.  I  must  —  I 
will  hold  you  in  my  arms." 

But  I  moved  away  quickly,  and,  half  crazy  with  my 
passionate  emotions,  I  sat  down  at  the  piano.  My 
hands  were  bare,  I  had  not  put  on  my  gloves  again 

140 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

after  supper;  and  I  began  that  tune  which  had  moved 
him  so  much  in  the  drawing-room  at  home. 

I  played  it  as  I  have  never  done  before ;  it  seemed  as 
if  my  very  soul  were  wailing  in  farewell. 

He  came  over  and  leaned  on  the  piano,  and  as  I 
watched  him  all  the  hot  passion  died  out  of  his  eyes, 
and  in  its  place  there  grew  two  great  glittering  tears, 
which  filled  them  and,  brimming  over,  splashed  down 
upon  my  fingers. 

Then,  without  a  word,  he  turned  and  left  the  room, 
closing  the  door  softly  after  him. 

And  when  Letitia  came  back  in  a  few  minutes  she 
found  me  sitting  alone,  as  cold  as  death. 

"  Guinevere,"  she  said,  alarmed ;  and  she  shook  me. 
"  Pull  yourself  together,  dear,  and  use  your  common 
sense.  These  tragic  looks  are  bourgeois  and  theatrical." 

And,  as  usual,  her  influence  over  me  was  calming  and 
reassuring.  I  felt  I  had  been  a  fool,  and  that  I  ought 
to  have  been  different;  and  that  there  was  no  reason 
for  so  much  pain. 

She  left  me  in  a  few  seconds  and  went  down  to  find 
Hugh ;  but  when  I  had  calmed  myself  enough  to  go  back 
to  the  ballroom  she  met  me  with  the  news  that  he  had 
left  the  house  —  and  I  had  no  one  but  myself  to  blame. 

Oh!  trees  in  the  misty  park,  all  cold  and  gray  at 
dawn,  what  is  your  message?  Is  there  an  ache  greater 
than  unfulfilment? 


A  note  came  for  Letitia  from  Hugh  while  we  break- 
fasted very  late  in  her  sitting-room  this  morning,  its 
daylight  air  so  gay  and  so  different  from  the  night 
before.  She  read  the  note  over  twice  very  attentively ; 
she  had  chatted  with  me  during  the  meal  about  every 

141 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

Irrelevant  thing  and  never  mentioned  either  Hugh  or 
{the  scene  she  had  guessed  had  taken  place.  Finally, 
she  looked  up  at  me  critically,  and  said  in  her  level 
voice : 

"  Guinevere,  you  made  Hugh  very  unhappy  last 
night  with  your  tiresome  seriousness.  He  is  still  aw- 
fully upset  and  cannot  make  up  his  mind  what  to  do. 
Do  you  want  him  to  go  away  and  not  see  you  again 
for  ages?  Or  are  you  going  to  be  sensible  and  behave 
like  a  human  being,  without  this  dramatic  nonsense, 
and  let  him  lunch  with  us  here  quietly,  and  then  all 
dine  at  Ada's  to-night,  and  dance  at  her  ball?  You 
quite  discourage  me  in  helping  you  to  enjoy  life." 

"  Of  course  I  wish  to  see  him  again,"  I  faltered.  The 
situation  seemed  so  different  in  the  morning  light.  "  I 
expect  I  am  very  foolish.  What  time  shall  we  lunch?  " 

"  Not  until  two.  I  shall  tell  Hugh  to  come  round  at 
half -past  one;  then  you  can  settle  your  differences. 
Langthorpe  is  the  only  other  man;  so  we  shall  be 
four." 

My  brother-in-law  returned  yesterday  in  time  for 
Letitia's  ball. 

She  got  up  and  went  to  the  telephone,  which  is  fixed 
in  this  room. 

She  rang  up  a  number,'  and  after  some  little  delay 
evidently  spoke  to  Hugh  himself. 

"  Come  to  lunch,  Hugh,  at  half-past  one  —  that  is 
my  answer."  Then,  "  Guinevere  has  eaten  an  excellent 
breakfast.  Being  in  the  country  so  long  has  made  her 
rather  bourgeoise  —  I  have  scolded  her  well.  No,  of 
course  not !  " —  and  she  glanced  at  me  with  a  roguish 
smile  — "  I  am  not  the  least  unkind  to  her.  Hugh !  don't 
be  so  indiscreet.  Yes,  you  may  send  her  some  roses  — 
white  ones  ?  They  had  better  be  addressed  to  me.  Her 

142 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

maid  is  a  country  frump,  too.  These  modest,  retiring, 
innocent  people  are  terribly  difficult  to  deal  with !  You 
like  them  like  that  ?  Oh !  well,  you  are  welcome  to  them, 
then !  Good-bye,  dear  boy !  "  And,  showing  all  her 
strong  white  teeth  in  a  frank,  kindly  smile,  Letitia  put 
down  the  receiver. 

I  felt  at  ease  and  at  peace  again,  all  the  storm  of  the 
dawn  calmed.  How  sensible  my  sister  is !  How  I  wish 
I  had  a  temperament  like  hers ! 

When  Hugh  came  I  was  sitting  in  the  library  down- 
stairs on  the  ground  floor.  It  is  a  cool,  heliotrope- 
tinted  place,  with  big  comfortable  chairs,  and  it  was 
filled  with  pink  roses.  The  splendid  white  bunch  which 
had  arrived  for  me  stood  alone  on  a  table  by  me. 

I  got  up  nervously,  but  as  the  servants  held  the  door 
Hugh  came  forward  gaily,  with  a  chaffing  greeting,  and 
we  sat  down  on  the  sofa  together. 

"  Hugh,  I  am  sorry,"  I  said  shyly.  "  Letitia  says 
I  am  a  fool  —  and  I  daresay  I  am." 

"  No,  you  are  not  a  fool,"  he  returned  eagerly  and 
fondly.  "You  are  just  the  purest,  truest  darling;  and 
I  was  a  brute.  But  I  was  quite  mad  last  night  —  the 
whole  thing  was  so  tantalizing.  You  looked  so  sweet, 
and  I  love  you  so  passionately.  You  will  make  allow- 
ances for  me,  won't  you,  Guinevere?  " 

"  Of  course  I  will,"  I  returned,  while  I  seemed  to 
take  in  his  wonderful  charm  afresh.  He  is  so  distin- 
guished-looking, and  so  long  and  thin  and  strong. 

"  And  now,  to-day,  I  am  going  to  try  and  amuse 
you.  But  first  you  must  play  to  me  —  some  beautiful 
things  which  will  banish  the  memory  of  that  farewell." 

I  went  to  a  small  piano  there  is  up  in  a  corner,  and 
for  a  quarter  of  an  hour  I  let  my  fingers  wander  over 
the  notes  in  all  sorts  of  gentle,  soothing  things,  and, 

143 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

as  before  at  Redwood,  Hugh  sat  quite  still.  Then  I  got 
up  and  joined  him  on  the  sofa  again. 

"  There !  "  I  said.  "  Now  all  clouds  are  over,  and  w». 
are  going  to  be  lovely  friends."  And  I  held  out  my  hand. 

He  took  it  and  did  not  let  it  go  again,  and  at  once 
my  heart,  which  I  thought  was  quiet  and  orderly,  began 
to  beat  wildly,  and  I  had  a  mad  desire  to  slip  forward 
into  his  arms. 

It  was  he  who  got  up  this  time  and  moved  away, 
and  he  spoke  at  once,  rather  fast,  of  the  flowers  —  if  I 
liked  the  white  roses,  and  had  I  got  them  without  any 
difficulty?  I  knew  they  were  for  me,  he  supposed.  He 
continued  in  this  strain  until  at  about  five  minutes  to 
two  Langthorpe  joined  us.  He  is  a  bluff,  good-natured 
creature,  whom  everybody  likes.  He  and  Hugh  are 
intimate  friends.  They  made  everything  easy,  and, 
not  waiting  for  Letitia,  who  is  often  late,  we  went  in 
to  luncheon. 

When  she  did  come  she  brought  Lord  Albert  with 
her,  and  we  discussed  the  ball  with  the  greatest  merri- 
ment. Ada  Marj  oribanks'  to-night  could  not  possibly 
be  so  good,  they  all  agreed. 

Afterwards,  Langthorpe  drove  us  all  down  on  his 
coach  to  a  garden-party  a  little  way  out  of  town  at  a 
famous  ducal  house.  I  sat  beside  him  on  the  box-seat 
and  then,  when  we  arrived,  in  a  walk  of  clipped  yews 
that  reminded  us  a  little  of  Minton  Dremont,  Hugh 
paced  beside  me  for  a  while. 

"  To-night  will  be  the  same  sort  of  torment  as  last 
night  was,  and  this  afternoon  is,"  he  said.  "  But  to- 
morrow we  can  be  happy  on  the  river  alone.  The 
Northeys  are  charming  people.  The  girl  and  her 
fiance  only  want  to  be  together,  and  Letitia  will  ac- 
count for  young  Gerald  Northey,  so  you  and  I  can 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

have  an  afternoon  of  unalloyed  peace,  Guinevere,  and 
the  evening  after  dinner,  too  —  I  have  arranged  that  tee 
dine  at  the  house  of  a  friend  of  mine  there  who  is  away. 
He  has  a  nice  little  place,  with  a  lawn  going  down  to 
the  river,  and  two  or  three  good  punts." 

'*  It  sounds  enchanting,"  I  cried. 

To-day  we  both  seemed  playing  a  part;  the  fond 
intimacy  and  friendliness  appeared  to  have  fled.  Hugh 
talked  as  though  he  were  trying  to  amuse  me  and  leave 
a  good  impression,  and  I,  too,  was  hardly  natural  once ; 
and  all  the  time  the  excitement  kept  growing  and  grow- 
ing in  my  veins,  until,  when  we  climbed  on  to  the  coach 
again  to  go  back,  Langthorpe  said  merrily: 

"By  Jove,  Guinevere,  you  are  getting  better-looking 
every  day !  I  never  saw  such  bright  eyes,  my  dear." 

When  we  got  in  there  was  a  letter  from  Humphrey. 
Algernon  and  he  had  been  constructing  a  mild  steeple- 
chase course  in  the  park ;  this  sounded  as  if  things  were 
mended  between  them  again.  Fortunately,  my  son 
shows  no  signs  of  deep  or  lasting  feelings,  and  when 
his  outbursts  of  passion  are  over  he  goes  on  whatever 
way  pleases  him,  without  a  backward  thought.  I  had 
left  him  on  the  Monday  in  the  highest  spirits  again,  with 
the  promise  of  a  thoroughbred  hunter  for  the  Christmas 
holidays,  which  Humphrey  had  intended  buying  for 
himself  but  which  he  thought  not  up  to  his  weight. 

My  husband's  letter  was  curt  as  usual,  and  ended 
with  this  characteristic  sentence: 

"  The  brougham  and  the  luggage-cart  will  meet  the 
4 : 22  train  on  Saturday.  Mind  you  do  not  miss  it, 
as  no  other  will  be  met." 

So  I  have  only  to-morrow  to  enjoy  life  in  before  I 
cross  the  drawbridge  of  Redwood  Moat. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

nOW  difficult  it  is  to  write  sometimes !  But  yet 
I  want  to  put  down  —  to  comfort  myself  — 
all  my  joys  —  and  pains. 

Ada  Marjoribanks'  ball  was  a  great  suc- 
cess, every  one  said.  Before  we  started,  I  schooled 
myself  to  remember  the  Frenchman's  maxim,  and  the 
moment  I  got  speech  with  Hugh  I  whispered  it  to  him, 
to  remind  him  again. 

"  Let  us  trust  each  other,  Hugh,"  I  said,  "  as  we 
are  going  to  be  happy  to-morrow;  and  do  not  let  us 
be  together  at  all  to-night." 

And  he  agreed,  but  not  very  heartily,  and  although 
I  knew  we  were  both  playing  a  game,  I  felt  disturbed 
and  distraite  the  whole  time,  and  I  believe  he  did  also, 
for  he  came  down  to  the  door  with  us  when  we  said 
good  night,  and  managed  to  whisper: 

"  It  is  perfect  hell,  this  sort  of  thing,  Guinevere.  It 
might  be  possible  if  I  were  married  to  you  and  knew  I 
should  have  you  in  peace  with  me  in  an  hour's  time; 
but  to  go  off  alone,  hungry,  like  a  starving  wretch  — 
jealous  and  unsatisfied  —  it  is  more  than  I  can  bear. 
If  you  were  going  to  stay  on  I  would  not  come  out 
again." 

"  I  hate  it,  too  —  but  there  is  to-morrow,"  I  said 
shyly,  and  got  into  the  electric  brougham  after  Letitia 
very  quickly,  and  we  called  a  good  night.  But  it  was 
broad  daylight,  and  the  comfort  was  to  know  that  in  a 
few  hours  we  should  meet  again. 

146 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

The  weather  this  whole  week  has  been  too  glorious: 
hot  and  perfectly  delicious,  and  when  we  were  all  ready 
to  start  for  Maidenhead  at  two  o'clock  at  Norfolk 
Street,  it  seemed  as  if  the  hottest  day  of  the  year  had 
come. 

Hugh  had  been  very  merry  at  luncheon,  and  the 
Northey  party  seemed  exactly  the  people  for  us. 

*'  They  do  not  know  one  of  our  friends,"  Letitia 
told  me,  "  and  can't,  even  if  they  wished  to  do  so, 
spread  interesting  news." 

It  had  been  arranged  that  the  fiances  sat  in  the  back 
seat  of  Hugh's  car  and  I  beside  him,  while  Letitia  took 
Mr.  Northey  alone  in  hers. 

We  did  not  talk  very  much  on  the  way  down  —  just 
stupid  little  glad  things  with  underneath  meanings  for 
ourselves ;  and  we  had  the  luck  not  to  have  a  puncture, 
and  got  there  on  time.  Letitia  was  not  so  fortunate, 
and  did  not  arrive  until  an  hour  after  us ;  but  by  then 
we  were  out  in  our  punts,  and  did  not  see  her  until  we 
returned  for  dinner. 

"  I  had  some  fresh  cushions  sent  down  for  you,  my 
sweet  lady,"  Hugh  said,  as  he  arranged  me,  "  because  I 
know  you  do  not  like  red,  and  all  old  Jack's  boats  are 
done  with  red.  These  soft  blue  ones  suit  you  much 
better,  and  I  can  look  down  and  drink  in  the  whole  pic- 
ture you  make." 

I  have  never  been  in  a  punt  before.  It  seems  a  very 
lazy,  reclining  sort  of  thing,  and  gives  a  peculiar 
drowsy,  delicious  feeling  as  one  goes  along  with  the 
soft  swish  through  the  water.  I  felt  so  happy,  every 
disturbing  thought  had  left  me;  I  was  at  peace  and 
meant  to  enjoy  my  last  day. 

Hugh  took  us  along  so  skilfully,  and  seemed  to  know 
exactly  where  we  should  eventually  find  a  delightful 

147 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

and  secluded  backwater,  where  he  shot  in  under  gome 
willows  in  a  bower  of  green.  Then  he  fastened  our  skiff 
securely  and  came  over  the  middle  seat  to  me,  and  asked 
if  he  might  come  and  sit  at  my  side. 

"  I  am  going  to  read  to  you,  Guinevere,"  he  said. 

I  gave  him  leave,  of  course.  Some  spell  was  over  me 
—  those  feelings  of  alarm  and  unrest  had  fled. 

And  he  soon  was  settled  among  the  blue  cushions. 

We  were  no  nearer,  I  suppose,  than  we  had  been 
when  we  sat  with  our  backs  to  the  tree  in  Richmond 
Park  —  or  even  on  the  sofa  in  the  library  at  Norfolk 
Street  —  but  it  seemed  as  if  we  were,  with  the  sides  of 
the  punt,  and  the  water  beyond ;  and  over  me  there  now 
stole  a  wild  excitement  again,  so  that  I  felt  a  pulse  in 
my  ears. 

Hugh  drew  out  a  book  from  under  the  cushion  at 
his  side.  It  was  Rossetti's  Sonnets,  which  we  both 
knew  by  heart.  He  turned  over  the  pages  quickly,  but 
did  not  begin  to  read  at  once. 

"  Is  not  this  absolutely  divine ! "  he  whispered  bliss- 
fully. 

"  Absolutely,"  I  said. 

"  Are  you  happy,  darling?  "  then  he  demanded  the 
eternal  question,  the  answer  to  which  gives  those  who 
love  so  much  joy.  And  when  I  murmured  that  I  was, 
he  gave  a  great  sigh  of  content,  and  found  a  sonnet 
and  began  to  read.  I  was  so  trembling  with  new  sen- 
sations that  now  I  cannot  remember  which  one  it  was ; 
the  actual  words  conveyed  no  meaning  to  me,  only  the 
sense  of  —  love.  He  stopped  when  he  had  finished  the 
last  line,  and  we  were  absolutely  silent ;  only,  I  thought 
he  must  hear  the  beating  of  my  heart. 

"  Darling !  "  he  whispered,  and,  turning,  sat  more 
uprightly,  looking  at  me.  "Guinevere,  darling — J 

148 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

cannot  bear  It!    I  love  you  so !  "  And  he  slipped  his  arm 
round  me  and  drew  me  close  as  he  kissed  my  lips. 

Oh!  what  immense  joy  and  emotion!  Nothing  I  can 
ever  have  in  the  rest  of  my  life  can  cause  the  supreme, 
indescribable  thrill  of  that  first  kiss!  The  starving, 
the  denying  of  ourselves  that  we  have  been  through  all 
these  days !  The  whole  force  of  nature  at  boiling-point 
for  expression !  And  now,  at  last,  in  that  delicious  cool 
green  shade,  with  the  drowse  of  happy  insects  and  the 
sweet  noises  of  June  summer  around  us  —  to  be  satis- 
fied! Ah!  .  .  .  There  was  nothing  brutal  or  wildly 
passionate  in  Hugh's  kiss,  but  it  made  me  almost  faint 
with  delight. 

I  did  not  resist  him.  I  could  not,  of  course;  it 
seemed  perfectly  natural  and  of  the  day,  that  he  should 
encircle  me  with  his  arm  and  that  we  should  recline 
thus  in  the  punt,  with  my  head  on  his  shoulder.  I  had 
taken  off  my  hat  when  he  first  tied  us  to  the  bank. 

"  You  are  not  angry  with  me,  darling,  are  you  ?  "  he 
pleaded,  as  he  kissed  me  again  —  the  gentlest  caress. 
"  You  would  not  be  human  if  you  did  not  understand. 
We  were  such  fools  to  imagine  we  could  live  on  words 
and  looks  and  sympathy.  I  knew  always  it  must  come 
to  this.  But  we  have  fought  as  well  as  we  could,  and 
now  we  will  rest  a  while  together  in  this  sweet  way." 

He  put  my  parasol  so  that  no  one  coming  by  chance 
from  beyond  could  possibly  see  us,  and  there  we  spent 
an  afternoon  of  such  happiness  that  I  know  now  what 
heaven  means. 

All  that  I  have  ever  seen  of  a  man's  love  before  was 
a  brutal,  horrible  thing  of  terror  and  disgust.  But  to 
rest  here  in  the  punt,  and  be  caressed  and  whispered  to, 
my  eyes  and  lips  and  hair  kissed  gently  by  my  darling 
one,  thrilled  every  fibre  of  my  being. 

149 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

"  To-day  you  are  my  little  sweetheart,"  Hugh  said. 
*'  I  am  not  going  to  frighten  my  tender  love  in  the 
least  —  she  shall  know  what  peace  means,  here  in  my 
arms.  This  is  enough  for  us  —  is  it  not,  darling 
child?  " 

And  all  I  could  murmur  was  a  yes  of  content. 

Now,  looking  back,  with  the  grim  stone  walls  of  my 
turret  chamber  closed  in  around  me,  I  can  try  to  an- 
alyze how  it  was  no  sense  came  to  me  of  the  fear  and 
resistance  to  something  I  longed  for  and  dared  not 
grasp,  which  had  assailed  me  each  time  we  had  been 
before  on  the  brink  of  an  embrace.  All  I  can  know 
clearly  is  that  nature  is  stronger  than  any  other  thing, 
when  propinquity  sets  the  currents  in  motion.  I  be- 
lieve, if  Humphrey,  with  a  drawn  sword  ready  to  kill 
me,  had  been  standing  not  far  off,  at  that  moment  when 
Hugh  first  held  me  close  to  his  heart,  I  could  not  have 
resisted  his  fond  kiss,  or  lessened  for  an  instant  the 
joy  it  caused  me.  Why  do  we  spend  our  lives  fighting 
against  nature,  I  wonder?  I  have  never  felt  this  sen- 
sation in  the  faintest  degree  for  any  other  man,  and  I 
suppose  I  never  shall  in  my  life.  Humphrey  says  al- 
ways no  other  woman  in  the  world  could  be  so  utterly 
cold  and  sexless,  and  that  I  am  not  capable  of  feeling 
or  arousing  the  least  passion;  and  a  man  who  might 
glance  at  me  as  he  had  done,  attracted  by  my  looks, 
would  be  frozen  into  instantaneous  indifference  by  my 
icy  unresponsiveness,  just  as  he  had  been. 

Perhaps,  as  Letitia  once  said,  there  are  rare  human 
beings,  like  eagles,  who  only  desire  one  mate.  Well,  if 
Hugh  and  I  never  meet  in  the  future  and  are  never 
really  lovers  in  this  world,  I  shall  always  continue  to 
adore  him,  and  him  alone. 

We  talked  in  little  sentences  of  love  and  its  meaning, 
150 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

and  the  unspeakable  solace  it  was  not  to  have  to  expend 
all  our  forces  in  resisting  something,  as  dangerous 
subjects  which  we  feared  would  illumine  emotion  in  us. 
Instead  of  which,  we  spent  the  hours,  until  it  was  time 
to  return  for  dinner,  in  a  complete  fusion  of  sympathy 
and  relaxation,  Hugh  whispering  to  me  whatever  love- 
message  came  into  his  head,  and  I  murmuring  fond  an- 
swers in  return. 

He  played  with  my  hands,  measuring  them  against 
his  strong,  fine  fingers,  and  holding  them  up  to  see 
their  transparency;  and  then  his  dear  voice  grew  anx- 
ious. 

"  You  look  so  awfully  delicate,  Guinevere,"  he  said. 
"  These  little  hands  are  mere  white  flowers.  I  want 
to  take  care  of  you  all  the  time.  You  require  constant 
loving  tenderness  and  devotion.  If  I  had  you  always 
with  me  at  Minton  Dremont,  I  would  pet  and  protect 
you  so  that  you  would  grow  quite  strong  and  rosy." 

"  I  am  really  not  delicate,  Hugh,"  I  said.  "  I  mean, 
I  have  a  splendid  constitution,  only  I  live  so  much 
into  myself  and  feel  everything  so  awfully  deeply,  with 
no  outlet,  that  I  suppose  I  use  up  all  my  vitality.  It 
will  be  different  now  — "  and  then  I  felt  shy,  and  buried 
my  face  in  his  white  flannel  coat. 

"  Yes,  everything  will  be  different  now,"  he  said, 
moved  to  kiss  me  again. 

"  We  must  try  not  to  be  greedy,  Hugh,"  I  told  him. 
"  It  will  be  terribly  difficult  not  to  meet  often,  but  we 
must  try  always  to  keep  happy  at  this  level." 

"  Ye-es,"  he  answered.    "  Of  course  — " 

"  You  do  not  think  we  shall  be  able  to?  "  I  asked, 
disturbed  a  little.  But  he  only  smoothed  my  hair, 
while  he  answered  tenderly: 

"  We  won't  make  any  plans,  my  darling  child.  I 
151 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

told  you  in  the  very  beginning,  when  the  imperative 
necessity  comes  for  more  fulfilment,  we  must  leave  it 
to  —  fate." 

I  cannot,  of  course,  confide  in  any  one,  even  Letitia, 
as  to  my  emotions,  but  I  do  wonder  if  other  women, 
when  they  love  a  man  absolutely,  as  I  love  Hugh,  feel 
as  I  do.  There  are  things  he  says,  tones  in  his  voice, 
which  suddenly  make  me  thrill  in  senses  and  brain  and 
soul  to  such  an  extent  that  I  feel  almost  intoxicated. 
"  My  virginal  Maiden  of  the  Snows,"  he  once  called 
Die  —  but  I  am  sure  I  am  not  that,  if  he  only  knew. 

"  Hugh,  does  it  please  you,"  I  whispered  to  him,  as 
he  stroked  my  eyelids  and  brow  with  a  willow  leaf  he 
had  picked  — "  does  it  please  you  that  no  one  else  has 
ever  made  me  feel  at  all  —  in  any  way?  Tell  me, 
Hugh." 

"  Does  it  please  me !  "  And  the  most  ecstatic  satis- 
faction came  into  his  eyes.  "  Would  the  rarest  dia- 
mond please  one  who  loved  jewels  and  had  only  pos- 
sessed imitations  all  his  life  hitherto  ?  " 

"  You  will  not  grow  tired  of  me  because  I  am  like 
that  —  only  able  to  love  you  and  no  other?  "  I  asked 
again. 

"  Oh,  my  dear,"  he  said  gravely,  "  the  cynics  say  — 
and  I  was  one  of  them  until  I  met  you  —  that  nothing 
one  possesses  continues  to  please  one,  and  that  all 
things  and  emotions  are  transient  and  have  their  day. 
But  now  I  know  that  when  love  is  as  yours  and  mine, 
springing  instantly  into  being,  with  every  taste  and 
idea  and  sympathy  in  unison,  that  it  is  of  God,  and 
makes  a  whole  which  not  even  death  can  part.  Guine- 
vere, if  I  ever  thought  your  love  for  me  could  be  capable 
of  fluctuations  —  if  you  could  ever  stoop  to  subterfuge 
or  to  tease  me  with  another,  then  the  fabric  of  that  per- 

152 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

feet  rererenoe  I  have  for  you  would  fade  and  pass 
away." 

"  You  need  not  fear,  Hugh,"  I  answered  him.  "  I 
cannot  pretend.  I  am  your  own,  with  no  secrets  for 
the  rest  of  eternity." 

"  Heart  of  me !  "  was  all  he  said,  and  his  eyes  looked 
into  mine  with  reverent  joy. 

I  dare  say  we  appeared  very  happy  when  we  joined 
the  others  for  dinner,  because  Letitia  had  the  expres- 
sion of  a  pleased  mother-cat  when  she  glanced  at  us, 
and  was  as  gay  and  amusing  as  it  is  possible  to  be. 
And  after  it,  when  the  moon  rose,  we  got  into  the 
punts  again  and  swirled  away  to  the  willow  bower  once 
more. 

It  was  all  mystery  now,  with  glancing  lights  and 
shadows  and  fairies  floating  on  the  beams  of  the  Lady 
of  Night;  and  a  new  intoxication  was  in  our  veins  and 
we  hardly  talked,  and  now  and  then  I  shivered,  al- 
though the  air  was  intensely  hot  and  still. 

There  was  the  sensation  that  Hugh  was  restraining 
himself  in  his  gentle  caresses  and  love  murmurings; 
there  was  a  quivering  mighty  force  suggested,  although, 
if  anything,  he  was  gentler  and  less  passionate  than  in 
the  afternoon. 

At  last  I  just  stayed  quiet,  too  overcome  to  struggle 
with  my  new  emotions  or  wonder  more,  while  he  poured 
upon  me  all  the  tender  adorations  that  words  could 
express  rushing  from  his  heart.  Every  sentence  is 
treasured,  but  it  is  all  too  sacred  to  write  about.  It 
was  one  of  the  evenings  when  mortals  taste  heaven  and 
are  the  equals  of  the  gods. 

At  last,  when  we  heard  eleven  o'clock  chime  from 
some  church  tower,  I  started  forward.  It  seemed  as  if 
the  deep  strokes  were  a  reminder  of  reality,  a  cruel 

153 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

sentinel  bidding  us  remember  that  joy  was  only  a 
dream,  and  earth  was  there  waiting  for  us. 

"  Oh,  my  sweet !  "  cried  Hugh,  "  do  not  go  yet.  Oh ! 
God,  I  cannot  bear  it !  Guinevere  —  I  tell  you  —  soon 
the  imperative  necessity  must  come,  and  when  it  does, 
promise  me,  if  fate  gives  you  to  me,  you  will  not  shut 
the  door." 

"  Hugh,"  I  whispered  —  but  my  lips  were  dry  — "  I 
love  you,  and  things  must  always  be  —  as  you  wish." 

Then  he  clasped  me  to  his  heart  once  more,  in  a  fond 
farewell  embrace,  and  we  silently  went  back  through  the 
moonlight  water  to  the  boathouse,  and  there  joined  the 
other  four  on  the  veranda. 

Hugh's  face  was  pale  and  stern,  and  his  eyes  looked 
black  as  night.  And  what  we  all  said  —  chaffing  at 
supper  —  I  have  not  the  least  idea.  Only  my  memory 
clings  to  the  drive  back  to  London  —  alone  with  him 
in  his  car  this  time  —  the  hedges  bathed  in  the  moon- 
beams and  the  silent  country  flying  past  us  through  the 
summer  night. 

"  My  darling  sweetheart!  "  he  whispered  just  before 
we  arrived  at  Norfolk  Street.  "  You  have  made  me 
so  divinely  happy,  I  have  no  worship  great  enough  to 
give  you.  Remember  always  that  my  love  goes  with 
you  to  Redwood  and  surrounds  you  all  the  time,  and 
so  let  the  frets  of  things  pass,  and  look  out  at  the  east 
window.  It  will  be  some  time  before  you  see  my  flag 
flying,  but  when  you  do,  you  will  know  that  somehow  I 
will  come  to  you,  and  we  shall  be  happy  once  more." 

Then  we  wrung  hands  and  parted  on  the  doorstep, 
and  I  stumbled  up  to  my  room  overlooking  the  park, 
too  overcome  with  j  oy  and  glory  even  to  be  able  to  bear 
Letitia's  friendly  good  night. 

And  this  morning  early,  before  I  started  for  Red- 
154? 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

wood,  among  the  parcel  of  books  Hugh  sent  me  there 
was  a  single  volume,  beautifully  bound,  of  Rossetti's 
Sonnets,  and  against  one  of  them  lay  a  folded  paper; 
and  when  I  opened  it,  all  I  saw  written  were  these 
words :  "  Remember,  that  day  will  come." 

But  which  sonnet  they  touched  must  always  remain 
buried  in  my  heart. 


11 


CHAPTER  XV 


was  standing  before  the  chimney- 
piece,  awaiting  me,  in  the  library  downstairs 
when  I  returned  home  a  week  ago,  and  a  thun- 
der-cloud hung  on  his  brow. 

Nothing  had  gone  right  during  my  absence,  it  would 
seem.  The  new  first  footman,  who  had  just  come  to 
take  the  place  of  one  of  the  two  dismissed  during 
the  fit  of  gout,  had  broken  a  valuable  china  god,  who 
had  been  accustomed  to  lire  on  the  smoking-room  book- 
case, and  he,  too,  was  now  under  notice  to  leave. 

"  A  woman  has  no  business  to  be  gadding  up  to  Lon- 
don," my  husband  announced,  "  and  letting  her  own 
home  go  hang.  Her  duty  is  there  first.  You  had  no 
right  to  be  visiting." 

It  would  have  been  of  no  use  my  saying  all  had  been 
quiet  and  orderly  when  I  left,  or  that  he  himself  had 
allowed  me  to  accept  my  sister's  invitation.  It  was 
better  for  me  to  permit  the  blame  of  the  breakage 
of  the  china  god  to  rest  quietly  upon  my  shoulders 
than  to  have  any  row.  Humphrey,  who  is  the  witti- 
est raconteur  of  stories  possible,  has  absolutely  no 
sense  of  humor  about  anything  which  concerns  him- 
self. 

By  a  sense  of  humor  I  mean  that  instantaneous 
appreciation  of  a  situation,  that  power  of  detachment 
from  being  one  of  the  actors  in  it,  even  if  physically 
one  is,  so  that  one  can  view  its  aspects  and  see  the 
comic  side,  though  it  should  be  to  one's  own  detriment. 

156 


Humphrey  and  Algernon  are  only  able  to  grasp  obvious 
jokes,  and  laugh  at  funny  stories,  which  is  quite  a  dif- 
ferent thing. 

Hugh  once  said,  in  one  of  our  talks,  that  a  sense  of 
humor  was  a  product  of  the  highest  civilization,  and 
could  not  flourish  in  any  country  until  it  went  hand  in 
hand  with  scepticism.  The  Greeks  had  it,  Lucian  and 
the  later  writers  especially,  and  some  of  the  Romans; 
then  it  lapsed  into  darkness,  and  did  not  really  emerge 
brightly  until  the  eighteenth  century.  This  seems  true. 
Sentiment,  on  the  other  hand,  could  be  in  perfect  unison 
with  beliefs.  There  can  be  nothing  more  full  of  senti- 
ment than  the  "  Morte  d'Arthur,"  compiled  at  a  time 
when  only  among  the  most  highly-educated  had  doubts 
begun  to  spring,  and  it  certainly  dated  originally  from 
much  further  back.  For  my  part,  I  have  always  be- 
lieved in  Arthur  and  his  knights,  and  every  word  of 
that  book.  For  me  they  will  ever  remain  true  heroes  of 
history,  and  not  fabulous  creatures  in  any  way,  and  I 
am  sure  Hugh's  spirit  descended  from  one  of  them,  and 
Humphrey's,  too.  They  both  have  their  prototypes 
therein.  But  I  am  not  like  Guinevere  —  I  love  my 
Lancelot  without  question  or  paltry  jealousies  of  imag- 
inary Elaines  or  others,  and  I  am  no  great  queen,  only 
a  very  loving  woman. 

Letitia  wrote  to  me  this  morning.  Her  friends  are 
getting  quite  worried,  she  says,  at  "  Winnie's  "  inabil- 
ity to  secure  Hugh !  They  almost  regret  Mrs.  Dalison ! 
They  are  so  afraid  he  may  look  outside  the  circle.  They 
have  not  the  faintest  suspicion  about  me,  she  is  glad  to 
say,  and  she  herself  is  taking  a  puck-like  joy  in  the  sit- 
uation. Hugh  had  gone  off  down  to  the  Isle  of  Wight, 
where  he  is  having  a  new  racing  schooner  tested  to  be 
ready  for  Cowes  week,  she  said,  and  she  —  Letitia  —  is 

157 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

beginning  to  wonder  if  her  interest  in  Lord  Albert  will 
last  out  the  season ! 

I  smiled  when  I  read  this  epistle,  and  then  carefully 
got  out  of  bed  and  burned  it  with  a  match  in  the  open 
grate.  Humphrey  has  never  respected  my  correspond- 
ence, and  would  read  any  letter  of  mine  he  fancied 
might  interest  him ;  but  fortunately  he  does  not  see  the 
early  post,  and  never,  except  that  once  when  he  helped 
to  show  the  Minton  Dremont  party  "  The  Lady  Mar- 
garet's Chamber,"  has  he  come  into  my  room. 

What  could  be  the  tragedy  for  a  woman  who  loves  a 
man  as  I  love  Hugh,  were  she  forced  to  live  with  her 
husband  as  his  wife !  But  for  me  that  would  be  a  com- 
pletely impossible  situation.  If  I  were  really  any  longer 
married  to  Humphrey,  I  could  not  have  admitted  Hugh 
even  to  a  close  friendship.  I  once  read  a  French  novel 
called  Partage.  It  made  an  extraordinary  effect  upon 
me.  But,  mercifully,  I  am  free  —  free  since  almost  ten 
years  —  from  any  personal  bondage.  I  should  be  very 
grateful  for  that.  And  I  am. 

I  feel  happy  all  the  day  long.  I  never  look  ahead. 
I  laugh  with  Algernon,  and  play  tennis  with  him  and 
his  tutor,  and  I  try  to  fall  in  with  every  wish  of  Hum- 
phrey's ;  and  he  said  only  to-day,  at  luncheon,  that  my 
visit  to  London  had,  after  all,  done  me  good  —  I  was 
looking  quite  alive.  I  ride  with  them  both  after  tea, 
and  Algernon  is  trying  to  teach  me  to  jump  a  tiny 
hurdle  in  his  steeplechase  course. 

But  I  look  out,  night  and  morning,  from  the  east 
window  of  my  shrine,  and  I  send  a  prayer  across  the 
trees  for  the  happiness  and  welfare  of  the  owner  of  the 
red  chimneys  which  I  see. 

After  a  colossal  joy  such  as  I  have  had,  one  seems 
to  be  satisfied  for  a  while  and  want  nothing  more ;  but 

158 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

then  begins  at  last  an  ache  again.  I  felt  it  this  morn- 
ing, and  it  has  been  growing  all  day.  The  beauty  of 
the  scenery  touches  some  chord  of  longing  for  Hugh. 
Roses  make  me  quiver;  evening  opalescence,  sounds  of 
birds  —  everything  of  sweetness  and  Nature  seems  to 
speak  to  me  of  my  dear.  I  shall  have  to  begin  a  stiff 
course  of  reading  again. 

We  are  going  to  remain  here  all  the  time,  with  no 
change.  And  the  neighbors,  now  that  the  fine  weather 
and  lack  of  hunting  interests  leave  them  freer,  come  to 
see  us  more  often. 

Petrov  is  a  great  comfort  to  me.  I  squeeze  him  and 
caress  him,  and  tell  all  kinds  of  tales  into  his  short 
pointed  ea  .s.  He  follows  me  about  all  the  time  like  a 
dog,  if  ne  can,  and  I  have  difficulties  to  keep  him  in 
safety  in  the  turret  room. 

How  am  I  going  to  get  through  the  days,  now  that 
this  ache  has  begun?  I  do  not  know. 


Weeks  and  weeks  have  gone  by.  It  is  the  end  of 
September  now,  and  raining  hard.  Letitia  has  come 
down  to  stay  with  us,  among  others,  for  our  first  par- 
tridge shoot.  I  am  writing  alone  in  my  turret  room, 
late  at  night.  I  sit  here  in  this  quiet  hour  and  read 
the  books  Hugh  sent  me  in  London.  They  bring  me  a 
certain  comfort,  but,  never  having  seen  him  once  since 
June,  I  seem  to  have  slipped  back  into  rather  a  gray 
hopelessness  again.  Letitia  has  often  sent  me  news  of 
him.  He  went  yachting,  and  then  to  Scotland;  and 
Humphrey  heard  that  he  had  been  down  to  Minton 
Dremont  for  two  separate  days  on  business;  but  his 
flag  did  not  fty,  and  we  saw  no  sight  of  him.  For  five 
years,  it  appears,  he  has  not  been  absent  from  his  home 

159 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

for  so  long.  I  feel  that  I  know  why.  It  is  not  because 
he  has  forgotten  me.  Now  and  then,  a  new  book  comes 
from  a  shop,  as  if  I  had  ordered  it  myself,  and  I  find, 
when  I  read  it,  it  contains  some  message,  so  I  have  tried 
to  comfort  myself ;  and  surely  he  must  come  back  soon, 
now  that  the  shooting  season  has  begun. 

Letitia  has  finished  with  Lord  Albert,  and  was  so 
amusing  about  him  just  now  when  she  sat  in  here  with 
me  before  going  to  bed. 

"  Albert  was  all  very  well,  Guinevere,"  she  said. 
"  He  carried  me  through  the  season  admirably.  He 
danced  nicely,  and  understood  music,  and  knew  every- 
thing I  wanted  in  London.  But  for  the  autumn  I  find 
I  require  one  with  more  outdoor  tastes.  Albert  was  a 
shocking  golf-player,  and  although  I  don't  'care  for 
golf,  one  must  play  nowadays,  and  there  is  no  use  in 
having  a  person  about  one  who  is  incapable  of  being  a 
help." 

"  Did  he  mind  getting  his  conge?  "  I  asked.  "  Poor 
Lord  Albert!" 

"  Of  course  he  did,  a  little ;  but  he  is  staying  up  with 
Ada  now,  in  the  north,  and  she  is  sure  to  place  him 
again  before  the  winter.  And,  meanwhile,  I  have  no 
one.  I  must  say,  Guinevere,  seeing  Hugh's  devotion  to 
you  rather  sickened  me  with  what  we  all  have  to  put  up 
with." 

"  But  you  knew  Hugh,  all  of  you,  for  years  before 
I  ever  saw  him.  Why  did  none  of  you  secure  him? 
You  had  every  chance." 

"  Yes  — "  and  she  shaded  her  eyes  from  the  fire  with 
her  hand ;  "  we  had  too  much  chance ;  and  somehow  we 
do  not  ever  seem  to  arouse  passions  like  that.  There 
are  cases  where  the  thing  seems  profound,  and  lasts 
more  or  less  like  Hilda  Flint  and  Charlie  Vernaby ;  but 

160 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

he  is  awfully  unfaithful  now  and  then  to  her,  and  only 
remains  from  habit  and  because  she  knows  all  about  his 
horses." 

To  be  able  to  keep  a  lover  only  because  one  knew 
about  his  horses !  Oh !  how  unspeakably  humiliating ! 

"  You  see,"  Letitia  went  on  meditatively,  "  we  rush 
about  too  much,  and  see  each  other  too  often  to  make 
any  man  in  our  set  feel  he  wants  any  of  us  exclusively. 
He  knows  we  should  tire,  even  if  he  did  not,  and  the 
whole  thing  is  give  and  take,  and  momentary  propin- 
quity, and  how  things  fall  out.  I  have  always  thought 
it  was  far  the  best  way  —  only,  your  two  faces  that 
night  at  Maidenhead,  and  a  talk  Hugh  had  with  me 
afterward,  made  me  feel  a  little  wistful.  Perhaps  it 
might  be  divine  to  be  loved  as  Hugh  loves  you." 

I  knew  it  was ;  but  I  only  looked  into  the  fire. 

"  And  yet  it  would  not  be  possible  in  the  world,"  my 
sister  went  on,  as  though  to  comfort  herself.  "  It  would 
make  a  scandal.  Of  course,  it  is  the  kind  of  thing  that 
only  happens  once  in  a  century.  I  almost  believe  you 
would  be  quite  happy  if  you  were  even  married  to  each 
other." 

"  I  hope  we  should,"  I  said. 

"  By  the  way,  what  will  you  do,  Guinevere,  when 
Hugh  does  marry,  some  day?  He  will  have  to,  you 
know,  with  those  awful  consumptive  prospective  heirs 
as  an  alternative." 

I  suddenly  grew  deadly  cold,  and  Letitia  kept  her 
steady  eyes  on  my  face  all  the  time,  and  must  have  seen 
me  get  paler,  for  she  said,  in  a  different  voice: 

"  You  care  for  him  awfully,  Guinevere.  Oh !  dear, 
that  is  pain,  after  all.  Perhaps  it  was  not  worth  it." 

I  came  and  sat  on  a  low  stool  by  her  side  and  put  my 
head  against  her  knee. 

161 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

*'  Yes,  it  was,  Letitia  —  worth  anything :  heaven  or 
hell.  But  we  are  not  lovers  —  in  the  sense  that  you 
sometimes  use  the  word  —  and  must  try  never  to  be." 

Letitia  bent  forward  and  took  my  chin  in  her  hands, 
and  looked  long  into  my  eyes;  and,  as  once  before  in 
this  very  room,  a  mist  grew  in  hers. 

"  Your  little  face  is  like  a  child's,  darling,"  she  said. 
"  So  pure  and  true.  To  you,  for  Hugh  really  to  be 
your  lover  would  mean  something  divinely  terrible, 
would  it  not  ?  Well,  I  am  afraid  now  that  he  will  be,  of 
course ;  it  is  only  a  question  of  time.  You  cannot  stem 
a  torrent  with  a  rose-hedge,  or  even  with  a  stone  wall. 
I  feel  horribly  responsible,  because  I  only  meant  to 
amuse  you  in  the  beginning;  but  it  will  be  then  I  shall 
have  to  take  care  of  you,  or  your  romantic  and  serious 
notions  will  destroy  yourself."  Then  she  bent  and 
kissed  me.  "  Guinevere,  promise  me  you  will  make  no 
further  moves  without  letting  me  know.  There  must  be 
some  one  with  common-sense  to  watch  over  you.  Hugh 
has  stayed  away  because  he's  fighting  against  tempta- 
tion as  hard  as  he  can ;  but  it  is  bound  to  conquer  in  the 
end,  directly  you  see  each  other  again." 

"  Then  perhaps  we  ought  not  to  meet,"  I  faltered. 

"  It  depends  altogether  upon  how  you  look  at  these 
things.  If  you  take  them  all  lightly,  as  we  do  in  the 
world,  and  can  keep  them  at  flirtation  point,  they  do 
not  matter  in  the  slightest  degree,  and  leave  no  mark. 
But  for  you,  who  take  them  seriously,  it  is  a  question 
of  whether  you,  under  the  circumstances  of  your  life, 
would  feel  yourself  degraded  or  no  in  having  a  lover. 
If  you  would,  then  it  would  be  a  sin  and  a  dreadful  pity 
for  you;  but  if,  being  no  more  married  to  Humphrey 
now  than  I  am,  you  chose  to  take  Hugh,  you  might  not 
feel  you  were  doing  anything  wrong.  It  is  all  in  the 

162 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

point  of  view.  If  a  woman  has  a  lover,  she  breaks  a  law 
and  every  one  who  breaks  a  law  pays  a  price;  but  the 
question  is  whether  or  no  you  think  the  happiness  is 
worth  the  price  of  certain  pain.  That  is  what  we  have 
to  consider  now,  since  this  rushing  torrent  has  gone 
beyond  the  power  of  stemming.  But  I  told  you  all  this 
once  before,"  she  went  on.  "  The  question  of  rights 
and  wrongs  is  arrived  at  by  their  effects  upon  the  com- 
munity, not  only  upon  the  individual.  You  must  judge 
of  that.  Of  course,  I  don't  mean  what  religious  people 
mean,  but  from  a  broad,  common-sense  view  that  looks 
only  at  ethical  morality.  Religious  people  look  upon 
the  marriage  ceremony  in  church  as  a  sacrament,  there- 
fore believe  that  it  is  a  sin  to  break  their  vows  under 
even  the  most  extenuating  circumstances.  They  don't 
realize  the  fact  that  the  vows  they  made  were  upon 
intangible  premises.  It  is  perfectly  impossible  to  be 
certain  of  continuing  an  emotion.  No  one  can  bid  that 
come  or  go.  A  very  strong  will  might  control  the  out- 
ward demonstrations  of  it,  perhaps  —  and  numbers  do, 
but  for  that  you  must  have  the  real  conviction  that  not 
to  do  so  would  be  a  sin." 

I  sighed.    I  was  horribly  disturbed. 

"  Do  not  misunderstand  me,  Guinevere.  I  think  it  is 
infinitely  wiser  for  a  woman  never  to  take  a  lover,  be- 
cause I  know  that  the  breaking  of  any  law  brings  cor- 
responding punishment  —  and  the  law  of  the  land  is 
that  fidelity  is  essential  in  the  bond.  The  only  point  I 
want  to  make  clear  to  you  is,  that  the  ethical  and  spir- 
itual side  is  for  your  own  consideration.  You  must 
decide  what  would  hurt  your  personal  soul  in  this, 
since  you  are  no  longer  living  with  Humphrey  as  his 
wife.  If  you  were,  there  could  be  no  question  as  to  the 
sin." 

163 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

I  laid  my  head  against  her  knee  again  and  Letitia 
bent  and  stroked  my  hair. 

"  Little  sister,"  she  went  on,  "  I  am  a  person  of  such 
crude  common-sense  that  I  felt  I  had  to  put  the  actual 
case  before  you,  now  that  I  see  that  things  have  gone 
too  far  to  keep  them  on  the  level  of  just  amusement. 
And  you  alone  can  decide  what  you  ought  to  do." 

"  Yes,  you  are  right,"  I  agreed.  "  But  no  one,  as  a 
rule,  dares  to  expound  these  views  as  you  have  done." 

Letitia  smiled. 

"  Naturally  not,"  she  said.  "  We  are  still  under  the 
dominion  of  hypocrisy ;  it  has  to  go  on  until  a  better 
arrangement  suggests  itself  for  the  good  of  the  com- 
munity. Meanwhile,  we  have  got  to  be  hypocrites  and 
pretend  what  seems  best.  But  these  views  are  what 
nine-tenths  of  civilized  people  would  agree  with  in  their 
hearts,  only  they  would  never  have  the  courage  to  admit 
it.  We  don't  discuss  these  things  in  the  world;  they 
are  understood,  that  is  all.  Nature  is  always  the  win- 
ner, or  the  destroyer,  if  you  interfere  with  her." 

"  Letitia,  Humphrey  would  think  you  were  fright- 
fully wicked,  if  he  could  hear  you  talk.  Is  it  not 
strange,  when  he  has  broken  that  seventh  command- 
ment numbers  of  times  in  his  youth,  and  probably  would 
again  now  if  he  felt  inclined?  " 

"Poop  old  Humphrey!"  my  sister  rejoined.  'l  He 
cannot  help  himself;  he  belongs  to  that  generation  in 
which  each  man  had  laid  down  a  law  as  of  the  Medes 
and  Persians  that  his  own  sisters  and  wife  must  be 
entirely  chaste,  while  he  himself  felt  perfectly  free  to 
try  and  undermine  the  virtue  of  every  other  man's  wife 
and  sister.  Their  sense  of  humor  had  a  good  deal 
lapsed,  it  would  seem." 

"  And  if  you  expounded  these  views  to  your  friends 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

- —  the  Duchess,  4  Winnie,'  and  Lady  Marjoribanks,  for 
instance  —  would  they  be  shocked?"  I  asked.  "Be- 
cause some  of  them  have  had  lovers,  haven't  they?  " 

"  Of  course  they  have,  but  they  would  be  dreadfully, 
shocked  to  have  to  admit  that  it  was  because  they  did 
not  think  it  was  ethically  wrong.  They  prefer  to  ignore 
the  subject  altogether,  and  not  mix  up  conscience  with 
it.  It  is  frightfully  bad  form  to  have  the  courage  to 
state  honest  unorthodox  views  and  act  up  to  them.  It 
is  much  better  taste  to  be  unmoral  —  secretly  thinking 
yourself  immoral,  but  not  facing  the  fact." 

"  That  seems  to  me  to  be  perfectly  frightful  and  de- 
grading," I  said  feelingly. 

"  Well,  they  aren't  very  high-souled,  are  they,  pet?  " 
And  Letitia  laughed.  "  But  they  are  not  bad  sorts, 
and  we  are  not  their  judges.  Ada  is  very  religious,  and 
does  endless  good  on  her  husband's  property,  and  is 
loved  of  all  old  women.  She  is  absolutely  a  lady,  you 
know.  Poor  old  Ermyntrude  is  so  vague  and  artistic ; 
but  she  is  kindly,  too.  And  Winnie,  who  isn't  really 
quite  —  quite,  underneath,  gives  thousands  to  public 
moral  charities  and  opens  bazaars  and  creches  and 
what-not  all  the  year  round.  God  will  judge  us  all,  I 
expect,  and  give  us  our  rewards." 

"  Letitia,  you  are  a  dear !  "  I  exclaimed. 

"  It  is  quite  time  I  went  to  bed  —  and  you,  too,"  she 
returned,  and  patted  my  hair,  which  was  hanging  down 
in  a  long  plait.  "  Guinevere,  I  never  saw  a  woman  look 
so  young  as  you  do.  No  one  would  take  you  for  more 
than  eighteen  to-night,  in  that  white  dressing-gown, 
and  by  all  the  laws  you  ought  to  be  withered  and  old- 
maidish,  having  had  so  little  joy  in  life." 

"  I  have  been  awfully  happy  since  the  spring,"  I 
told  her,  as  we  went  through  my  room  and  along  the 

165 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

endless  twisted  corridors  to  the  other  part  of  the  house 
— •  Letitia  is  afraid  to  creep  back  alone,  with  only  a 
candle,  she  says,  as  all  lights,  by  Humphrey's  orders, 
are  put  out  at  half-past  ten  o'clock. 

"  Complete  happiness  for  you  is  bound  to  come  — 
and  perhaps  complete  misery  —  with  your  serious  tem- 
perament, little  sister,"  she  said,  kissing  me  good  night 
in  her  room.  "  Well,  I  will  help  you  to  the  first,  since 
things  are  now  inevitable,  and  see  you  through  the 
other,  if  it  happens.  Bless  you,  pet !  " 

And  all  the  way  back  here  to  my  turret  chamber  her 
words  have  rung  in  my  ears.  Well,  I  must  leave  all 
things  to  fate,  and  be  true  to  myself  and  what  I  think 
ethically  right.  There  is  one  thing  I  know:  not  for 
any  happiness  in  this  world  would  I  degrade  my  own 
soul,  were  I  given  the  choice.  I  love  Hugh  utterly  and 
forever,  and  I  belong  to  him  for  that  reason,  and  to 
him  alone.  And  oh!  the  joy  to  make  him  perfectly 
happy,  the  glory  and  the  pride  I  shall  find  in  surren- 
der; giving  him  that  supreme  gift  of  myself  when  he 
shall  ask  it  of  me,  in  perfect  faith  and  trust. 


When  I  looked  out  of  the  east  window  this  morning 
to  say  my  prayers,  I  saw  with  a  great  heart-bound  that 
the  flag  of  the  Dremonts  waved  from  the  staff  above 
the  trees. 

Hugh  was  there !    And  I  knew  I  should  see  him  soon ! 

Letitia  received  a  note  from  him,  by  hand,  when  I 
went  up  to  her  after  I  had  poured  out  the  coffee  at  the 
general  breakfast.  He  had  called  at  Norfolk  Street 
before  coming  down  yesterday,  it  appeared,  and  had 
been  told  she  was  at  Redwood.  She  did  not  read  the 
letter  aloud,  but  she  smiled  mischievously. 

166 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

"  Leave  it  to  me,  Guinevere,"  she  said.  "  Now  tell 
Humphrey  to  come  up  and  chat  to  me  for  a  moment 
before  the  guns  start.  He  won't  be  able  to  refuse  me 
anything  in  this  attractive  cap." 

Letitia  looks  too  adorable  at  her  breakfast.  She  has 
every  becoming  arrangement  one  could  think  of  to  en- 
hance her  every  charm  and  conceal  any  small  defect  of 
age.  Humphrey  honestly  thinks  her  the  finest  and  most 
charming  woman  he  knows  —  which  she  is. 

I  felt  light-hearted  as  a  girl  as  I  ran  down  the  stairs 
with  my  message,  and  though  Humphrey  growled  and 
mumbled  something  about  the  utter  inconsiderateness 
of  women  —  just  when  men  were  going  to  start  —  he 
mounted  the  stairs,  not  ill-pleased  underneath. 

Algernon  has  gone  to  Eton  three  days  ago;  other- 
wise, how  delighted  he  would  have  been  to  kill  his  first 
partridge!  He  is  going  to  be  a  fine  shot,  his  father 
says. 

Our  party  is  quite  agreeable  —  amiable  wives  of  guns 
for  the  most  part,  but  easy  to  entertain  —  and  only 
two  of  them,  besides  Letitia,  decided  to  come  out  to 
lunch,  as  it  was  still  threatening  to  rain;  and  as  we 
walked  up  to  the  old  barn,  where  the  trestled  tables 
were  laid  out,  a  tremendous  quiver  came  over  me  and 
made  me  stammer  in  the  middle  of  a  sentence,  for  there 
in  the  wide  doorway,  leaning  against  the  rough  oak, 
waiting  for  us,  was  Hugh  Dremont ! 

"  It  was  so  good  of  the  General  to  send  over  to  me," 
he  said  politely,  as  he  shook  hands.  "  I  am  just  down 
for  a  day  or  two,  and  wanted  to  see  you  all  again.  I 
am  not  going  to  shoot,  only  to  lunch,  and  walk  with 
you  afterward.  Ah!  how  do  you  do,  Lady  Lang- 
thorpe?  "  as  Letitia  came  up. 

And  both  their  eyes  were  full  of  sprightly  under- 
167 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

standing  as  they  greeted  each  other,  while  such  joy 
flooded  my  being  that  at  first  I  could  not  speak. 

"  Do  you  see  them  coming?  "  one  of  the  ladies  asked. 
"  Could  we  not  go  and  meet  them  down  the  lane?  " 

"  Yes,  do  let  us,"  Letitia  agreed,  drawing  the  other 
woman  into  her  group,  too,  while,  murmuring  I  must 
just  look  at  the  lunch  table,  I  went  into  the  barn,  fol- 
lowed by  Hugh. 

The  servants  were  there,  so  we  chaffed  a  few  words, 
and  then  went  out  again  and  sat  on  a  low  stone  wall, 
where  we  could  see  the  sportsmen  when  they  should 
come  in  sight  from  afar. 

And  then  we  turned  and  looked  at  each  other. 

"  Oh!  my  darling!  "  was  all  Hugh  said.  And  "  At 
last!  "I  cried. 

Then  our  sentences  came  quickly:  questions  from 
him,  and  answers  from  me: 

Was  I  well?  Did  I  love  him?  Had  I  missed  him? 
Was  I  glad  to  see  him  ?  and  a  dozen  more  tender  things ; 
and  then,  satisfied  with  my  replies,  he  burst  forth  with 
his  tale  of  the  impossible  summer  he  had  passed;  the 
daily  fighting  down  his  mad  longing  to  come  to  me ;  and 
how  twice  it  had  mastered  him,  and  he  had  returned  to 
Minton  Dremont,  and  there  conquered  it  and  gone  back 
again  without  seeing  me;  but  that  at  last  his  will  was 
at  an  end,  since  fate  made  it  imperative  that  he  should 
return  to  his  home. 

"  I  thought  I  loved  you  as  much  as  it  was  possible, 
in  London,  Guinevere,"  he  said  passionately,  "  but  I 
know  that  each  day  since  we  parted  you  have  grown 
more  dear." 

"  And  you,  also,  Hugh,"  I  whispered  —  and  down  on 
the  stone  wall  he  pressed  my  hand. 

He  is  looking  bronzed  and  well,  my  Beloved  One,  and 
168 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

more  attractive  to  me  than  ever,  and  his  voice  fills  me 
with  joy  and  contentment;  and  when  I  meet  his  eyes,  I 
thrill,  and  —  oh !  I  love  him,  I  love  him  with  the  essence 
of  my  life. 

We  had  not  time  for  anything  more,  for  the  group 
of  guns  came  in  view,  and  we  walked  forward  to  meet 
them,  returning  en  masse  for  lunch.  But  I  knfew  that 
Letitia  would  arrange  that  I  should  have  a  chance  of 
talking  during  the  afternoon,  somehow ;  and  she  did. 

I  stood  with  Humphrey,  as  is  his  wish  always  on  the 
rare  occasions  I  have  ever  been  out  shooting  with  him, 
because  we  have  not  been  in  England  for  so  long;  but 
just  before  the  two  last  drives,  one  of  the  ladies,  Mrs. 
Hepburn,  said  she  was  cold  and  tired,  and  wished  to  go 
back,  and  my  husband,  put  out  at  any  disturbance  of 
his  plans,  asked  Hugh,  who  knows  all  this  country,  to 
show  us  the  way  home,  and  Letitia  said  she  would  come, 
too,  leaving  Mrs.  Monroe  to  stay  with  the  guns.  Le- 
titia had  stood  with  Hugh  all  the  time,  creating  quite 
the  impression  that  he  had  come  there  only  to  see  her. 
So  now  we  four  started  across  the  fields  toward  a  wood, 
but  before  we  got  there  we  had,  by  her  skilful  mano2u- 
vring,  divided  into  two  and  two. 

"  We  can't  go  wrong  right  through  these  trees,  if 
we  stick  to  the  path,  can  we,  Hugh?  "  she  asked.  "  Mrs. 
Hepburn  and  I  are  so  cold,  we  want  to  run  on  for  a 
little  and  get  our  circulation  up ;  but  Guinevere  hates 
walking  fast." 

He  assured  her  they  would  be  perfectly  safe,  and 
thus,  after  a  few  seconds,  we  were  at  last  left  alone. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

shadows  in  the  wood  made  it  quite  dusky, 
and  the  sky  was  heavy  with  clouds.  The  very 
instant  the  pair  in  front  were  out  of  sight, 
Hugh  stretched  out  his  hands  and  took  my 
hands. 

"  Oh !  the  hunger  of  it ! "  he  said,  very  low,  as  if  the 
words  were  wrenched  from  his  heart;  and  we  could 
neither  of  us  speak  coherently,  we  were  both  so  moved. 

"  And  to  think  that  when  we  have  come  through  this 
wood  and  crossed  a  few  fields,  we  shall  have  to  play  the 
comedy  again,  and  I  may  not  even  touch  your  fingers ! 
Oh !  Guinevere,  it  is  torture,  is  it  not  ?  " 

The  mighty  workings  of  passion  had  carried  us  both 
on  so  far  from  that  night  in  Hugh's  sitting-room,  when 
he  had  told  me  he  would  try  to  keep  his  love  within  the 
bounds  that  could  never  bring  me  sorrow.  But  I  could 
not  reproach  him  with  that;  we  had  gone  together 
along  the  same  road. 

"  Yes,  it  is  anguish,"  I  agreed.  "  But  now  that  I 
have  seen  you,  I  can  bear  it  better.  As  the  days  went 
on,  after  the  ache  began  again,  the  longing  for  you  to 
come  was  almost  more  than  I  could  bear." 

"My  darling!" 

"  Hugh,  we  must  not  look  ahead  —  the  situation  is 
too  impossible.  Let  us  be  happy  again  now  for  this 
short  while,  and  never  live  in  anything  but  the  actual 
moment." 

"  Ah !  if  we  can.  But  I  am  mad,  I  think,  Guinevere. 
170 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

I  hardly  sleep  at  all,  some  nights.  At  Cowes  on  the 
yacht,  it  was  simply  sickening  on  thost  moonlight  even- 
ings. I  did  not  believe  a  passionate  love  for  a  woman 
could  bring  a  man  such  pain.  Then  I  went  to  Scotland, 
and  walked  the  whole  party  off  their  legs,  to  try  and 
get  tired  enough  to  be  indifferent  to  emotion." 

"  And  I  have  read  books  —  and  played  tennis  —  and 
nearly  strangled  Petrov  once  or  twice.  He  was  the 
only  thing  that  comforted  me ;  he  seemed  to  know  and 
sympathize." 

"  What  are  we  to  do  ?  " 

Unconsciously  we  had  walked  a  few  paces  fast,  but 
when  he  said  this  he  made  me  pause,  and  drew  me  down 
to  sit  beside  him  on  a  fallen  log. 

"  Guinevere,  what  are  we  to  do  ?  "  Tie  repeated  again. 

I  could  only  look  at  him  in  pitiful  distress.  He  was 
suffering  so  —  my  darling  one! 

Then  he  suddenly  covered  his  face  with  his  hands. 

"  Oh !  what  a  weakling  I  am !  "  he  cried  brokenly. 
"  I  who  should  be  strong  and  take  care  of  you  —  so 
fragile  and  tender.  And  the  purgatory  and  frightful 
unrest  I  have  been  through  has  brought  me  to  this,  that 
I  hurt  you  instead  of  comforting  you.  Forgive  me, 
darling  child." 

Of  course  I  told  him  that  I  forgave  him.  But  that 
we  must  try  and  be  grateful  for  just  meeting,  and  not 
spoil  the  time  by  being  so  unhappy. 

"  Yes,  you  are  right,  Guinevere,"  he  agreed.  "  And 
I  will  conquer  all  this  presently,  and  try  again  only  to 
bring  you  joy.  But  there  is  no  solace  for  us  here  in 
the  wood  —  I  may  not  even  hold  your  dear  hand,  with 
the  chance  of  any  stray  beater  about.  I  must  always 
think  of  you,  sweetheart.  Now,  tell  me  everything  you 
have  done  since  we  parted  —  every  little  thing." 
12  171 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

I  tried  to  do  so,  but  a  delicious,  dream-like  happiness 
was  stealing  over  me  with  the  knowledge  of  his  pres- 
ence, and  made  my  words  come  slow. 

Then  he  told  me  of  all  his  thoughts  of  me ;  how  they 
had  never  left  me,  and  how  utterly  meaningless  every- 
thing seemed  that  he  had  done  and  suffered  during  the 
long  months. 

"  I  have  been  fighting  all  this  time,"  he  said,  "  but  I 
shall  not  try  to  do  so  any  more  —  it  is  not  possible. 
I  shall  see  you  whenever  it  can  be  arranged  with  safety. 
I  am  going  away  on  Friday  again,  but  in  a  week  I 
shall  return,  and  then  I  shall  stay.  One  might  as  well 
be  dead  as.  to  go  on  suffering  the  torture  of  this  sep- 
aration." 

I  could  only  acquiesce;  it  was  entirely  what  I  felt, 
too. 

Then  we  were  much  happier,  saying  love  things  to 
each  other  for  a  few  minutes,  until  we  both  realized  we 
must  not  linger  any  more,  but  go  on  through  the  wood. 

"  You  look  too  sweet  in  that  short  skirt,  Guinevere," 
Hugh  told  me,  as  we  walked  along.  "  But  you  seem  to 
have  got  thinner,  dear.  Are  you  sure  you  have  been 
well?  " — and  his  voice  was  anxious. 

"  Yes,  I  have  been  well ;  but  I  think  this  place,  and 
the  damp  of  it  do  not  suit  me  quite.  I  feel  very  tired 
always  and  stupid  —  like  that." 

"  Darling,  you  ought  to  go  to  the  South  for  the 
winter.  With  the  autumn  fogs  coming  on,  how  will  you 
bear  it  ?  Minton  Dremont  is  on  so  much  higher  ground, 
it  seems  to  be  a  different  climate  always  to  Redwood. 
I  must  discuss  with  Letitia  what  we  can  possibly  sug- 
gest for  you."  And  his  dear  face  was  full  of  concern 
and  pain. 

*'  There  would  not  be  the  least  use,  Hugh.  Hum- 
172 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

phrey  says  .Redwood  Moat  has  been  good  enough  for 
the  Bohuns  for  four  hundred  years,  and  is  to  he  good 
enough  for  them  to  the  end  of  time.  Unless  I  were 
actually  seriously  ill,  as  I  was  in  India,  he  would  not 
hear  of  my  going  to  the  South  of  France.  And  I  am 
not  ill,  you  know;  only  listless  rather  —  but  now  that 
you  have  come,  it  will  be  all  changed.  You  are  the 
sunshine  for  me,  Hugh." 

He  could  hardly  speak,  he  was  so  moved.  But  then 
I  could  see  he  put  a  strong  control  upon  himself  and 
tried  to  be  gay  for  the  rest  of  our  walk,  and  when  we 
reached  the  drawbridge  I  felt  all  the  blood  running  in 
my  veins  with  joy  and  the  brisk  exercise;  and  Hugh 
looked  more  content. 

"  The  General  has  asked  me  to  return  and  dine,"  he 
said,  as  we  mounted  the  front  doorsteps.  "  But  the 
guns  will  not  be  in  for  another  hour.  May  I  come  up 
into  your  little  turret  room  for  a  while?  I  will  come  by 
the  steps  straight  from  the  garden  —  Letitia  said  that 
would  be  perfectly  simple  —  and  it  would  be  so  divine 
to  see  you  there  just  once." 

I  felt  a  sudden  thrill.  How  clever  Letitia  is !  Yes, 
it  would  be  possible  —  the  lady  guests  would  be  in 
their  rooms,  and  I  would  not  be  expected  to  go  down 
until  tea,  at  half-past  five ;  and  as  soon  as  Parton  had 
removed  my  shooting  things  and  .given  me  a  tea-gown, 
she  would  go  off  to  her  own  tea  at  half-past  four  — 
miles  away  in  the  other  part  of  the  house.  The  tempta- 
tion was  too  great  to  resist. 

"  Yes,"  I  answered,  catching  my  breath.  "  Don't 
come  in  with  me  now,  then;  go  into  the  garden  and 
wait,  and  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour  come  straight  up  the 
stairs." 

The  great  clock  chimed  quarter-past  four  —  that 
173 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

would  give  me  just  time,  as  Parton  is  a  punctual  per- 
son, and  would  not  delay  a  moment  from  her  tea. 

Hugh  turned  and  left  me,  casually  going  across  the 
courtyard  toward  the  stables,  and  I  bounded  up  the 
great  stairs  to  my  wing,  a  strange  excitement  now  in 
my  heart. 

There  I  found  Parton  already  laying  out  my  things, 
and  Letitia  warming  her  hands  by  the  fire. 

"  You  should  have  a  little  rest,  Guinevere,"  she  said. 
"  That  big  hooded  chair  in  your  shrine  is  a  delightful 
place  to  doze  in.  I  am  going  to  have  a  sleep  until  tea, 
Don't  let  them  disturb  Mrs.  Bohun  until  after  five 
o'clock,  Parton,"  she  added,  as  she  walked  toward  the 
door.  "  She  is  tired  out." 

And  my  maid  agreed,  and  soon  I  was  ready,  in  a 
quiet  gray  tea-gown,  and  Parton  left  me  in  peace,  sit- 
ting in  the  old  magenta-covered  chair,  with  a  .blazing 
fire  of  logs  and  the  curtains  drawn  over  the  windows, 
while  Petrov  purred  upon  my  knee. 

Then  my  heart  began  to  beat  to  suffocation,  for  I 
heard  Hugh's  steps  coming  softly  up  the  stairs. 

The  little  narrow  door  was  oiled  long  ago,  because 
I  hate  noises,  and  it  moves  silently  on  its  old  iron 
hinges. 

I  do  not  know  what  he  could  have  seen  in  my  expres- 
sion as  I  stood  up,  trembling,  ready  to  greet  him,  for 
he  held  me  from  him,  and  his  face,  from  the  passionate 
gladness  of  its  expression  as  he  entered,  became  quite 
pale  and  stern. 

"  Dear  heart,"  he  said,  "  you  are  full  of  fear !  Guine- 
vere, my  darling,  trust  me,  I  implore  you!  I  worship 
you,  you  know,  and  am  not  altogether  a  brute." 

"  Oh !  Hugh,"  I  half  sobbed,  as  I  buried  my  face  on 
his  breast. 

174, 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

And  when  he  had  kissed  me  with  divine  tenderness, 
he  made  me  return  to  the  chair  again,  and  himself  drew 
a  low  oak  seat  that  is  one  of  my  new  acquisitions  close 
to  my  side,  and  there  sat  down,  stretching  out  his  long 
limbs  toward  the  blaze.  Then  I  put  out  my  hand  and 
rather  timidly  caressed  his  hair.  It  is  so  thick  and 
smooth  —  only  a  slight  wave  where  it  is  brushed  back 
from  his  broad  forehead.  I  have  always  wanted  to 
touch  his  hair. 

He  turned  to  me  eyes  full  of  absolute  adoration. 

"Oh!  how  blessed!"  he  said  gently.  "To  rest 
here  after  the  stress  of  the  day,  and  to  have  you 
touch  me  like  that.  You  have  angel  fingers,  Guine- 
vere. My  mother  used  to  stroke  my  hair  when  I  was 
a  boy." 

"  Isn't  it  peaceful,  Hugh?  "  I  responded,  my  heart 
quite  calm  and  happy  now,  the  excitement  all  fled. 
"  And  we  have  a  whole  half-hour  in  perfect  security, 
and  I  promise  not  to  be  nervous  once.  Do  you  remem- 
ber how  silly  I  was,  starting  like  that  in  Richmond 
Park?  " 

I  would  have  wished  him  to  read  to  me,  but  there  was 
not  enough  light  • —  only  the  blazing  logs.  So  we  talked 
to  one  another,  all  sorts  of  beautiful  tendernesses ;  and 
never  once  did  Hugh  lose  control  of  himself,  even  when 
presently  I  let  him  clasp  me  in  his  arms  and  kiss  me  to 
his  heart's  content. 

But  his  voice  was  frightfully  deep  when  at  length  he 
got  up  to  go,  as  five  o'clock  struck,  and  it  trembled 
ominously. 

"  Guinevere,"  he  whispered.  "  Darling,  I  have 
shown  you  now  that  I  can  master  myself  —  because  I 
love  you  so.  But  I  am  only  human;  I  will  not  come 
again  up  here  —  I  could  not  bear  it  —  Guinevere  — 

175 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

you  have  not  forgotten  what  you  promised  me  in  Lon- 
don, have  you,  dear?  " 

He  held  me  from  him  and  looked  into  my  eyes. 

"  I  said  —  there  was  only  to  be  your  will,  Hugh,"  I 
answered  him,  hardly  aloud. 

And,  almost  crushing  me  in  his  arms,  he  turned  and 
went  to  the  staircase  door.  There  he  halted  a  minute. 

"  Then  fate  will  arrange,"  he  whispered,  and  went 
softly  from  the  room. 


It  is  Christmas  Day  —  a  gray  day,  with  a  wind  and 
a  ruffled  sea.  Oh!  how  long  since  I  have  written,  or 
thought,  or  even  breathed!  We  are  here  in  the  South 
of  France,  after  all,  and  I  have  been  so  ill. 

But  there  is  nothing  the  matter  with  my  lungs,  the 
doctor  says,  now  that  the  pneumonia  is  cured;  only  I 
must  get  well  in  the  sunlight.  And  never  since  that 
September  afternoon  have  I  seen  my  Beloved. 

Ah!  I  cannot  go  back  and  pick  up  the  threads,  one 
by  one,  of  how  a  chill,  caught  and  neglected  the  follow- 
ing day  of  the  shoot,  commenced  the  gradual  lowering 
of  my  vitality  and  left  me  a  prey  to  whatever  evil  thing 
was  passing.  And  before  Hugh  returned  again  to  Min- 
ton  Dremont,  I  was  very  ill. 

Letitia  came  back  and  comforted  me  like  an  angel. 
One  would  not  have  supposed  that  she,  with  all  the 
cares  of  her  great  position,  could  have  found  time  — 
but  she  did.  And  Hugh  was  nearly  crazy,  it  seems,  and 
stayed  during  the  whole  period  at  Minton  Dremont,  all 
alone,  getting  news  daily.  But  the  circumstances  were 
too  difficult  for  us  to  meet  —  even  Letitia  admitted 
that.  For  as  soon  as  I  could  be  moved,  in  the  begin- 
ning of  November,  we  came  here  to  St.  Raphael,  and  I 

176 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

was  too  weak  to  stand  any  excitement,  she  feared.  Then 
she  had  herself  to  leave  me,  and  Humphrey's  old  sister 
took  her  place. 

My  husband  has  felt  it  a  personal  insult  to  himself 
and  his  house,  my  having  been  so  ill.  And  when  the 
actual  danger  to  my  life  was  over,  he  let  me  understand 
this,  if  not  in  words.  I  heard  continual  stories  of  the 
strength  and  hardiness  of  his  mother  and  all  those 
Bohun  ladies  who  had  gone  before.  And  then,  when 
the  doctor  said  it  was  absolutely  necessary  that  I  should 
go  to  the  South  for  a  while,  Humphrey  had  an  explo- 
sion of  rage.  With  all  his  new  hunters  eating  their 
heads  off  in  the  stable,  and  in  the  first  year  of  his 
return  to  his  ancestral  home,  to  have  a  wife  who  chose 
that  time  to  get  some  trumpery  illness,  and  then  require 
to  go  to  a  beastly  foreign  country  to  recoup,  was  more 
than  a  man  could  bear!  I  heard  all  this,  and  I  was 
still  so  weak  that  it  made  me  cry.  I  felt  the  truth  of 
my  shortcomings.  But  a  compromise  was  arrived  at 
when  Letitia  announced  her  intention  of  seeing  me 
safely  settled  at  St.  Raphael,  and  Miss  Araminta  Bo- 
hun consented  to  join  me  when  my  sister  must  leave. 
In  this  way,  Humphrey  was  enabled  to  remain  at  home, 
and  looked  forward  to  having  Algernon  for  the  Christ- 
mas holidays,  and  continuous  hunting  —  all  to  himself. 

So  Letitia  and  I  came  here,  and  life  crept  back  to  me, 
assisted  greatly  by  the  tenderest  letters  from  Hugh. 

But  since  my  sister  left,  three  weeks  ago,  I  have  not 
been  able  to  receive  many.  They  must  come  in  hers  —  I 
would  not  trust  Miss  Araminta  Bohun.  She  has  the 
curiosity  of  all  disappointed  old  maids,  and  while  I 
was  too  feeble  to  interfere,  sorted  out  all  the  corre- 
spondence for  us  both  which  arrived,  scrutinizing  each 
envelope  with  a  gimlet  eye. 

177 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

Letitia's  last  words  have  been  a  comfort  to  me: 

"  Do  not  fret  or  grieve,  darling,"  she  said.  "  You 
know  Hugh  is  thinking  only  of  you  from  morning  to 
night,  and  the  first  moment  there  is  a  sensible  chance, 
he  will  come  to  you.  After  all,  you  have  your  whole 
lives  before  you  both ;  you  need  not  hurry  to  meet,  and 
so  cause  things  to  be  so  impossible  that  you  cannot  go 
on  doing  so." 

And  with  this  I  have  to  be  content.  But  to-day, 
Christmas  Day,  has  brought  a  strange  depression.  It 
is  to  me  always  a  melancholy  time.  I  have  no  memories 
of  joy  with  it. 

We  have  been  to  church,  where  the  stiff  old  English 
parson  discoursed  upon  the  graves  of  loved  ones  far 
away. 

Then  my  sister-in-law  wore  a  solemn  air  at  dejeuner, 
The  whole  thing  —  foreign  hotel,  food  at  unusual  hours, 
and  no  holly  or  mistletoe  —  has  jarred  upon  her  un- 
bearably. She  is  sixty-four,  Araminta,  and  as  hardy  as 
an  Alpine  annual;  but  she  hates  to  have  her  habits 
upset. 

She  read  me  a  homily  after  breakfast,  in  our  sitting- 
room,  and  all  the  time  the  tears  were  so  near  to  my 
eyes  that  now  at  last  I  have  crept  here  to  my  room  to 
be  alone.  I  cannot,  cannot  pretend  any  longer.  I  can- 
not crush  the  cruel  ache  in  my  heart,  the  void  in  my 
soul.  For  whenever  I  do  see  you,  oh  my  Beloved,  it  will 
be  a  snatch,  and  a  frightful  unrest,  knowing  the  mo- 
ments will  be  transient  and  the  longing  must  begin  all 
over  again.  The  post  is  late  to-day  and  has  not  yet 
come  in.  Perhaps  I  shall  hear  from  you  —  that  may 
comfort  my  heart.  But,  meanwhile,  I  am  alone,  and 
outside  is  the  sorrowful  sea  and  the  soughing  wind  in 
the  fir-trees. 

178 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

One  can  suppress  love,  I  suppose,  if  one  is  strong, 
and  encourage  diversion  and  excite  the  intellect;  but 
the  god  will  come  to  his  own,  and  then,  as  to-day,  one 
lies  prostrate,  ready  to  make  any  bargains  with  fate, 
for  the  sight  of  a  face,  the  sound  of  a  voice;  for  the 
clasp  of  strong  arms  and  the  pressing  of  dear  lips; 
when  nothing  in  the  world  consoles  one;  when  one  can 
only  crouch  in  one's  cave,  too  deeply  anguished  for 
tears. 


Dawn  has  broken;  the  mood  of  the  weather  has 
changed;  there  is  not  a  cloud  in  the  sky  or  a  ripple  on 
the  sea,  and  the  glorious  sun  rises  above  the  dark  velvet 
of  the  fir-trees.  Has  it  come  to  warm  my  frozen  soul? 
Is  it  a  message  of  hope,  that  I  may  read  from  its  splen- 
dors that  life  will  smile  again  some  day  for  me  —  even 
for  me,  too  —  and  that  I  may  soon  see  my  Beloved  ? 


The  Christmas  letters  only  came  in  just  now,  by  the 
first  post  the  day  after;  and  there  is  one  from  Hugh 
which  would  comfort  any  woman. 

He  longs  for  me,  just  as  I  long  for  him.  He  has  a 
party  at  Minton  Dremont  —  a  family  party  —  and 
Lord  Burbridge,  his  nephew,  and  Algernon,  both  back 
from  Eton,  are  having  the  most  sporting  time  together. 

Hugh  proposes  to  run  out  to  Monte  Carlo  and  stay 
at  St.  Raphael  on  the  way,  pretending  his  motor  has 
broken  down,  because,  as  he  says,  he  cannot  any  longer 
bear  the  torment  of  not  seeing  me.  So  by  New  Year's 
Day  I  am  to  expect  a  surprise  visit.  He  will  arrive 
about  luncheon  time,  and  hopes  somehow  I  will  be  able 
to  arrange  to  see  him  alone. 

179 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

Although  I  am  not  at  all  strong  yet,  I  wrote  him  out 
a  telegram,  and  took  it  into  the  town  myself  to  send  off. 
Just  to  say  he  would  find  me  on  January  the  first  out 
on  the  far  rocks  at  the  Lion  de  terre,  at  two  o'clock,  if 
he  motored  that  way  and  came  to  look  for  me.  And 
then  I  struggled  back  to  the  hotel  and  lay  on  my  bed, 
exhausted.  But  I  must  make  a  beginning  of  going  out 
by  myself,  so  as  to  be  strong  enough  to  get  to  the  rocks 
in  these  few  days'  time.  The  joy  of  the  thought!  I 
have  no  further  room  for  tristesse.  What  will  he  look 
like?  What  will  he  say  to  me,  when  he  comes,  in  six 
days  from  now? 


Alas!  it  seems  that  I  am  not  to  be  happy.  Hugh 
broke  his  collar-bone  out  hunting,  two  days  after 
Christmas,  and  cannot  move  just  yet.  Letitia  wrote  to 
me  a  long  account  of  it,  and  of  his  bitter  disappoint- 
ment. No  wonder  I  was  so  melancholy  on  Christmas 
Day!  This  was  in  the  air.  He  will  come  the  moment 
he  is  better,  she  says,  and  so  does  his  left-hand  pen- 
cilled note.  But  that  cannot  be  for  a  few  weeks. 

The  divine  beauty  of  the  scene  which  meets  my  eye 
each  time  I  look  from  my  window  only  seems  to  mock 
me.  It  is  having  been  so  ill,  I  suppose ;  1  have  lost  my 
vitality. 

By  the  same  post  which  brought  this  blow  to  fall 
upon  me  there  came  a  letter  from  Humphrey,  telling  me 
he  is  to  be  sent  with  the  Duke  of  Stornoway's  mission 
to  take  the  Garter  to  the  new  Emperor  of  Araucaria; 
he  is  full  of  pompous  gratification.  He  will  surely,  he 
says,  receive  from  the  Emperor  the  Grand  Cordon  of 
the  Blue  Lion;  and  he  loves  orders  and  medals  and 
that  sort  of  thing.  He  pretends  it  is  a  bore  having  to 

180 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

start  early  in  February,  in  the  full  swing  of  the  hunt- 
ing season,  but  Algernon  will  have  returned  to  Eton, 
and,  after  all,  one  must  do  one's  duty  to  one's  country, 
he  admits.  He  will  be  away  until  early  in  June,  because 
he  has  been  requested  privately  to  visit  certain  terri- 
tories belonging  to  England,  leaving  the  mission  on  the 
way  back,  so  as  to  give  his  opinion  upon  the  defences 
in  them. 

"  I  suppose  you  will  be  well  by  that  time,"  he  wrote, 
"  and  able  once  more  to  fulfil  your  duties  at  home." 

I  suppose  so.  But  meanwhile,  for  nearly  four 
months,  I  shall  be  free !  A  great  sigh  came  to  my  lips, 
of  sudden  relief  and  comfort,  when  I  realized  this. 

We  had  settled  to  return  to  England  on  the  first  of 
February,  in  any  case,  as  my  sister-in-law  Araminta 
can  no  longer  remain  away  from  Bath  and  her  home 
comforts,  and  finds  that  to  be  a  companion  to  a  con- 
valescent who  has  to  be  considered  is  not  an  occupation 
which  is  agreeable  to  her. 

I  wrote  all  my  sympathy  and  congratulations  to 
Humphrey,  and  said  I  would  come  back  to  see  him  off. 
And  so  the  days  drone  on ;  but  there  is  a  sense  of  sup- 
pressed excitement.  Letitia  has  a  surprise  for  me,  she 
says.  She  has  arranged  with  Humphrey  that  she  is  to 
stay  with  me  at  Redwood,  or  I  am  to  stay  with  her  in 
London,  or  in  Cheshire,  during  all  the  time  of  my  hus- 
band's absence.  And  that  means  that  I  shall  certainly 
see  Hugh.  His  right  arm  is  still  strapped  to  his  side, 
and  his  left-hand  little  scribbles  are  diificult  to  read; 
but  they  are  loving,  and  each  one  makes  me  happy. 

Ever  since  this  news  came  of  my  prospective  months 
of  holiday  I  have  been  growing  better.  Now  I  can 
walk  as  far  as  the  rocks  with  no  great  fatigue,  and 
Parton  assures  me  I  am  not  nearly  so  pale  and  thin. 

181 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

I  have  the  kind  of  feeling  that  Hugh  is  suppressing 
all  great  signs  of  emotion,  but  that  a  furnace  is  burn- 
ing underneath;  and  as  the  days  approach  for  my  ar- 
rival in  England  I  feel  so  excited  I  can  hardly  sleep. 

It  appears  he  has  seen  a  very  great  deal  of  Hum- 
phrey and  Algernon  this  winter  —  Algernon  especially. 

"  They  have  strange  traits,  both  of  them,"  he  wrote 
in  one  of  his  letters.  "  They  are  so  suspicious  of 
every  one's  motives;  and  over  animals  they  are  both 
rather  brutes.  But  they  have  the  pluck  of  the  devil 
in  the  hunting-field,  and  one  has  a  sort  of  hard  admira- 
tion for  them  —  but  as  guardians  for  my  fragile  Guine- 
vere, they  could  hardly  be  more  unsuitable."  And  then, 
in  another  letter :  "  It  makes  me  boil  with  rage  to  hear 
the  General  speaking  of  women  —  with  his  cynical 
brutal  contempt  of  them.  And  to  think  you,  my  dar- 
ling, have  had  to  endure  that  atmosphere  for  all  these 
years ! " 

To-morrow  we  leave  for  Paris,  and  by  Thursday 
evening  I  shall  be  in  Norfolk  Street,  where  Humphrey, 
who  is  in  London  making  his  preparations,  will  come  to 
see  me,  and  then  leave  me  with  Letitia  when  he 
starts  off . 

He  is  so  full  of  himself  and  his  mission  that  he  has 
not  had  time  to  think  jealously  of  my  being  away  from 
him,  as  once  he  would  have  done,  although  he  has  no 
more  emotion  for  me  himself.  But  he  is  jealous  over 
everything  which  belongs  to  him,  as  are  all  egotistical 
people,  I  expect. 

And  to  think  that  the  next  time  I  can  write,  it  will 
be  in  England,  and  with  the  prospect  of  seeing  Hugh! 
Ah !  me,  it  is  good  to  be  alive,  after  all ! 


CHAPTER  XVH 
FEBRUARY,  1906 

ND  so  we  are  at  Redwood  Moat  again,  and 
Humphrey  is  on  his  way  to  his  far  destina- 
tion. Algernon  and  I  waved  to  him  from  the 
station  platform,  and  then  my  son  went  back 
to  Eton,  and  I  rejoined  Letitia  in  Norfolk  Street;  and 
the  next  day  came  down  here.  It  is  the  tenth  of  Febru- 
ary, 1906.  Why  do  I  write  the  date,  I  wonder?  —  and 
to-morrow  I  shall  see  Hugh ! 

Petrov's  joy  at  my  return  is  sweet  to  see.  He  has 
moped  and  grown  quite  thin  during  my  absence.  The 
house  seems  terribly  damp  and  cold,  and  Letitia  shivers. 
She  had  intended  to  have  a  rest-cure  here  with  me,  she 
said,  before  an  unusually  busy  London  season;  but  to- 
night she  has  spent  the  time  since  dinner  in  writing  a 
long  epistle  to  Hugh.  He  is  at  Minton  Dremont,  and 
to-morrow  comes  over  to  lunch  with  us,  so  why  she  had 
to  write  to  him  to-night  I  did  not  at  first  guess. 

"  Guinevere,"  she  said  just  now,  sniffing  the  air,  "  I 
am  sure  there  is  something  wrong  with  the  water  in  the 
moat ;  it  is  dreadfully  unhealthy,  and  the  worst  possible 
thing  for  you,  still  so  delicate  as  you  are.  I  noticed  it 
this  afternoon,  and  spoke  to  Hartington  about  it,  and 
he  said  it  would  be  a  perfect  mercy  now  to  have  the 
moat  cleaned  out  all  round,  if  only  the  family  could  be 
away.  He  said  *  Sir  Hugh  Dremont '  had  remarked  it, 
too,  the  last  time  he  was  over  with  *  the  master,'  and  he, 

183 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

Hartington,  had  *  made  so  bold '  as  to  say  to  Sir  Hugh 
that  he  thought  it  a  pity  for  the  mistress  to  be  here 
now,  in  the  bad  weather,  with  it  in  this  state,  and  Sir 
Hugh  had  agreed  with  him.  It  would  only  take  '  a 
matter  of  three  weeks  or  so '  to  do  it,  he  said,  if  only 
4  the  mistress  '  would  consent  to  go  somewhere  else ;  and 
that  Sir  Hugh  had  said  why  should  not  *  the  family  ' — 
meaning  you  and  me,  of  course,  Guinevere  —  go  and 
stop  for  the  time  at  Minton  Dremont?  It  was  big 
enough,  in  all  conscience,  and  he  would  not  be  having 
visitors,  and  they  could  be  as  quiet  as  they  pleased. 
Hartington  and  I  discussed  the  whole  thing,  and  settled 
it  together,  so  now  I  have  written  to  Hugh  to  say  the 
plan  seems  awfully  good  to  me,  and  he  had  better  try 
and  persuade  you  into  it  to-morrow  at  luncheon.  What 
do  you  say?  I  am  going  to  have  the  letter  sent  over  in 
the  morning." 

I  was  simply  overcome  —  it  sounded  as  if  an  angel 
from  heaven  had  descended  and  asked  me  to  go  and 
spend  some  time  in  Paradise. 

"  Humphrey  left  Hartington  more  or  less  in  charge 
of  everything,"  I  blurted  out,  "  so,  if  he  thinks  it  a 
good  idea,  I  have  nothing  to  say  against  it,"  and  then 
a  nervous,  ecstatic  laugh  came  to  my  lips.  "  Oh !  Le- 
titia,  how  divine !  " 

"  Yes,"  returned  my  sister,  in  her  most  matter-of- 
fact  tone.  "  The  house  is  awfully  comfortable,  and 
Hugh  is  an  angelic  host,  and  will  pet  and  cosset  you 
back  into  robust  health  —  you  white,  wretched-looking 
creature !  " 

Then  she  patted  me  and  laughed. 

"  Doctor  Burnley  is  coming  in  the  morning,  and  he 
is  sure  to  tell  me  he  is  quite  of  the  same  opinion  as 
Hartington ;  so,  you  see,  it  is  your  duty  to  go.  I  could 

184." 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

not  have  remained  in  this  haunted,  gloomy  place  for 
my  rest-cure,  I  tell  you  frankly,  darling.  Now  go  to 
bed;  you  look  as  pale  as  a  ghost,  Guinevere." 

And  I  said  I  would,  and  she  left  me  a  few  minutes 
ago  here  in  my  turret  chamber,  and  I  pulled  aside  the 
curtains  of  the  east  window  and  there  saw,  high  over 
the  tree-tops,  one  enormous  star  rising  in  the  dark-blue 
sky,  and  it  seemed  like  a  message  of  joy  and  happiness. 


Hugh  came  a  little  before  luncheon.  I  was  up  in  my 
shrine,  and  I  heard  his  and  Letitia's  voices  on  the  stair, 
and  she  called  to  me,  as  once  before  she  had  done,  and, 
as  once  before,  I  heard  footsteps  and  knew  the  moment 
for  reunion  with  my  Beloved  had  come.  I  trembled  so, 
I  had  to  hold  on  to  the  back  of  the  chair,  as  Hugh 
opened  the  door  and  strode  toward  me,  with  arms  out- 
stretched. But  his  glad  cry  was  mixed  with  anguish 
when  he  looked  into  my  face. 

"  Oh,  my  darling,  how  white  you  look  —  and  small !  " 

And  then  we  did  not  speak  for  a  few  minutes.  There 
was  the  hunger  and  pain  and  agony  of  all  these  months 
to  be  assuaged,  clasped  in  each  other's  arms. 

Hugh's  collar-bone  is  mended  now,  and  he  looked  so 
splendid  and  strong  and  well.  And  oh,  his  tenderness 
to  me !  —  his  fond  anxiety  over  me ;  his  protective,  pos- 
sessive adoration!  It  was  worth  having  been  ill  for  — 
it  was  worth  anything  in  the  world;  and  we  hated  to 
have  to  go  down  to  luncheon,  even,  we  had  so  much  to 
say. 

Letitia  played  the  game  before  the  servants  with 
consummate  skill.  She  announced  Dr.  Burnley's  views, 
and  appealed  to  Hartington,  who  seconded  every  word 
she  said;  and  Hugh  brought  out  his  invitation  with 

185 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

superb  sans  gene,  and  before  the  meal  was  over  it  was 
settled  that  we  should  remove  to  Minton  Dremont  that 
very  afternoon.  "  The  sooner  the  better  for  Mrs.  Bo- 
hun,"  Dr.  Burnley  had  said,  so  Letitia  informed  us. 

Hugh  left  immediately  after  lunch,  to  make  every- 
thing ready  for  us. 

"  I  must  have  you  in  my  own  wing,  Letitia,"  he  had 
said.  "  There  are  absolutely  no  draughts  there,  and 
Guinevere  can  go  up  and  down  those  private  stairs 
without  getting  cold.  We  shall  dine  in  the  small  break- 
fast-room that  I  use  when  I  am  alone,  so  as  to  be  cozy 
—  don't  you  think  so  ?  " 

And  my  sister  agreed  to  all  these  things. 

When  the  time  to  start  arrived  —  four  o'clock  and 
just  getting  dusk  —  I  felt  quite  sick  with  excitement. 
What  would  it  be  like  —  at  Minton  Dremont ! 

Hugh  came  forward  to  meet  us  in  the  hall,  his  eyes 
shining  like  stars,  and  everywhere  there  was  warmth 
and  brightness  and  quantities  of  flowers ;  and  we  had 
tea  in  the  morning-room  which  opens  into  that  ante- 
chamber where  the  trophies  of  sport  hang. 

A  shy  joy  and  silence  was  upon  me  —  and  a  perfect 
sense  of  safety  and  peace.  The  superlative  happiness 
and  rest,  not  to  feel  I  must  listen  for  coming  interrup- 
tions and  suffer  that  whole  sense  of  fear  and  unease 
tvhich  rules  the  atmosphere  at  Redwood  Moat! 

Letitia  is  so  admirable;  she  never  neglects  any  of 
the  points  in  any  of  her  games.  She  did  all  the  talking, 
saying  Hugh  might  ask  Gerald  Northey  down  in  a  few 
days  —  Guinevere  would  be  feeling  better  by  then,  and 
so  would  not  be  confused  with  conversation  and  vis- 
itors. And  then  she  carried  me  off  to  my  room,  saying 
I  might  change  into  a  tea-gown  and  rest  there,  if  I 
liked,  or,  on  Hugh's  suggestion,  would  find  the  most 

186 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

comfortable  sofa  by  the  log  fire  in  his  own  sitting-room. 
The  two  of  them  spoilt  and  petted  me  as  though  I  had 
been  an  invalid  baby.  I  can  never  say  how  happy  I 
felt. 

My  room,  I  found,  was  a  most  charming,  rosy  chintz 
place,  with  nothing  of  state  and  darkness  in  it.  It 
might  have  been  full  summer,  for  the  roses  which  great 
bowls  were  filled  with  —  to  have  them  for  most  of  the 
year  is  one  of  Hugh's  fads  —  and  its  windows,  the 
housekeeper  told  us,  as  she  showed  us  in,  looked  full 
south.  It  was  perfectly  quiet,  too,  with  its  bathroom 
and  dressing-room  next  door,  and  Letitia  in  an  equally 
comfortable  apartment  across  the  passage. 

"  You  are  next  to  me,  Letitia,"  said  Hugh,  "  so  you 
can  feel  perfectly  safe  from  burglars  and  ghosts  in  the 
night !  " 

We  were  so  merry  all  the  time,  and  I  felt  full  of  life 
and  returning  health,  Tor  happiness  is  a  much  greater 
doctor  than  ever  JEsculapius  could  have  been. 

When  finally  I  did  get  down  into  Hugh's  sitting- 
room,  at  about  six  o'clock,  he  was  there  waiting  for  me. 

It  looked  so  comfortable  and  peaceful,  with  all  the 
russet  silk  curtains  drawn  and  just  the  big,  softly- 
shaded  lamps  and  the  crackling  and  glowing  logs.  And 
close  to  my  sofa,  which  he  had  prepared  for  me  with 
soft  cushions,  was  a  huge  bunch  of  deep-red  roses, 
giving  forth  a  sweet,  fresh  scent. 

"  I  would  not  have  white  ones  to-day,  sweetheart," 
Hugh  said.  "  You  are  too  pale  yourself.  And  I  am 
going  to  take  care  of  you  and  love  and  worship  you 
until  they  are  no  longer  your  prototype !  " 

He  was  as  gentle  as  the  tenderest  nurse,  and  made 
me  lie  down  and  rest,  while  he  sat  beside  me,  holding 
and  caressing  my  hand,  and  now  and  then  my  hair; 
13  187 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

and  we  talked  of  all  sorts  of  beautiful  things,  and  of 
our  love,  and  of  our  happiness ;  and,  finally,  he  read  to 
me  in  a  low  voice,  and  gradually,  worn  out  with  all  the 
excitement,  I  fell  into  a  blissful  sleep. 

When  I  awoke  he  was  still  sitting  beside  me,  and  his 
dear  face  wore  an  expression  I  have  never  seen  on  a 
human  face  before:  it  showed  everything  of  love  and 
devotion,  and  even  a  reverent  awe. 

"  Guinevere,"  he  whispered,  "  while  you  have  slept  I 
have  been  realizing  the  value  of  things.  Darling,  I  do 
not  think  I  ever  knew  before  how  much  I  loved  you. 
And  now,  for  this  little  while,  I  am  going  to  take  every 
possible  shadow  out  of  your  life.  I  want  you  to  prom- 
ise me  that  you  will  never  let  your  thoughts  go  on 
ahead.  I  want  you  to  be  as  happy  as  the  day  is  long." 

"  Indeed,  I  promise,  Hugh." 

Then  we  went  up  the  stairs  together  to  dress  for 
dinner,  and  it  seemed  as  if  I  must  have  always  lived 
there  —  all  felt  so  natural  and  at  peace. 

After  dinner,  Letitia  and  Hugh  and  I  sat  in  the 
morning-room,  because  there  is  a  piano  in  it,  and  I 
wanted  to  play  to  them.  I  felt  like  that  —  I  wanted  to 
give  forth  all  the  thankfulness  of  my  soul  in  beautiful 
sound.  And  they  both  sat  in  comfortable  chairs  and 
listened  in  relaxed  rest  and  enjoyment. 

I  made  the  music  tell  them  of  all  my  thoughts,  and 
once,  when  I  glanced  over  at  Letitia,  I  saw  that  her 
usually  bright,  merry  eyes  were  gazing  into  distance 
and  full  of  a  wistful  light.  What  was  she  thinking  of, 
I  wonder?  Was  she  feeling  that,  whatever  the  pain  it 
might  bring,  love  like  Hugh  and  I  have  for  each  other 
was  worth  all  the  triumphs  of  the  world?  Poor,  dear 
Letitia !  But  each  one  must  dree  his  own  weird. 
Hugh's  lids  were  closed,  and  a  look  of  perfect  content 

188 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

was  on  his  face.  No  three  people  could  be  happier 
together  than  we  three  are. 

When  I  was  following  my  sister  out  of  the  room,  on 
the  way  to  bed,  Hugh  detained  me  for  a  second. 

"  My  sweet,"  he  said.  "  Now  you  must  sleep  and 
rest  completely  and  grow  strong  here  in  my  house; 
and  remember,  every  slightest  thing  is  to  be  as  you  wish, 
Guinevere.  Do  you  understand  exactly  what  I  mean, 
darling  child?  " 

A  great,  strange  quiver  came  over  me,  and  I  conic* 
not  meet  his  eyes,  as  I  answered: 

"  Yes,  Hugh." 

Then,  with  perfect  homage,  he  bent  and  kissed  my 
hand. 

"  My  love,"  he  said,  "  good  night." 

And  I  left  him  standing  by  the  fire. 


We  have  been  here  a  whole  week,  and  it  seems  that  I 
am  perfectly  well  now,  wooed  back  into  health  and  vigor 
by  Hugh's  tenderest  devotion.  How  he  must  love  me! 
Not  once  during  this  whole  time  have  I  ever  seen  more 
than  a  momentary  gleam  of  passion  in  his  eyes.  Every 
action,  every  thought  has  been  of  what  is  best  for  me; 
not  to  tire  me,  not  to  weary  me ;  what  I  must  eat,  when 
I  must  rest,  how  can  he  best  strengthen  and  amuse  me. 

We  have  taken  little  walks  in  the  park  —  longer  ones 
each  day  —  and  we  have  examined  every  corner  of  the 
garden  and  talked  of  my  wishes  for  this  mass  of  color 
or  that  in  the  coming  flowers  —  just  as  though  I  shall 
live  here  always  and  it  is  all  my  own. 

He  has  been  out  hunting  only  once  —  and  he  loves 
hunting  in  an  ordinary  way.  His  collar-bone  is  not 
firm  yet,  he  says!  But  I  know  that  is  not  the  reason. 

189 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

And  one  thing  has  touched  me  most  of  all.  When  Par- 
ton  came  into  my  room  on  the  morning  after  we  ar- 
rived, she  brought  a  large  basket,  from  which  emerged 
a  strange  sound;  and  when  she  opened  the  lid  out 
sprang  my  own  Petrov! 

Then  when  I  came  down  and  thanked  Hugh,  he  said, 
laughing : 

"  My  Guinevere  is  nothing  but  a  darling  little  old 
maid,  and,  I  knew,  would  not  be  happy  without  her 
cat!" 

But  how  dear  of  him  it  was,  even  to  think  of  this 
small  completion  to  my  contentment. 

Letitia  is  really  having  more  or  less  of  a  rest-cure, 
and  leaves  us  alone  while  she  sleeps  in  her  room  until 
late  in  the  day.  And  this  afternoon  that  nice,  frank, 
fresh  young  Mr.  Northey  —  who  came  with  us  to 
Maidenhead  —  is  arriving  for  a  week  or  so.  Hugh  is 
going  to  mount  him  on  some  of  his  hunters,  since  he  is 
not  riding  much  himself. 

I  feel  so  gay,  and  my  cheeks  have  grown  almost  pink. 


When  I  went  down  to  tea,  Mr.  Northey  had  arrived 
and  was  conversing  with  Letitia,  and  a  sprightly  air 
Was  over  everything.  We  had  the  merriest  possible 
time,  and  I  was  joyous,  and  laughed,  and  made  little 
sallies  quite  beyond  my  wont ;  and  after  it,  I  went  with 
Hugh  into  his  sitting-room  to  look  for  a  book,  and  as 
I  was  bending  down  to  get  it  out  of  the  book-case,  he 
suddenly  seized  me  in  his  arms,  while  his  eyes  looked 
as  they  had  looked  on  the  river  in  the  moonlight. 

"  Ah !  "  he  said  —  and  that  was  all.  But  his  lips 
almost  burned  my  lips,  and  my  heart  suddenly  began 
to  beat  wildly  with  I  know  not  what,  and  I  struggled 

190 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

away  from  him  —  but  it  was  not  from  fear.  Then  I 
ran  like  a  fawn,  bounding  lightly  over  a  footstool  that 
was  near,  and  out  of  the  door  and  up  to  my  room, 
while  his  voice  called  after  me  in  anxiety: 

"  Guinevere !  " 

I  cannot  imagine  what  made  me  do  this  —  human  na- 
ture is  very  strange.  I  could  not  make  myself  go  down 
again,  but  sat  crouching  by  my  fire  in  some  nameless 
intense  excitement,  until  Parton  came  in,  when  the 
dressing-gong  sounded. 

I  put  on  my  white  and  silver  gown,  with  the  red  rose 
stuck  in  my  hair,  as  for  the  Whitsuntide  dance  last 
year;  and  every  emotion  which  has  been  slumbering 
during  this  week  of  peace  and  convalescence  seemed  to 
be  awakening  in  my  heart. 

Letitia  came  to  fetch  me  to  go  down  the  stairs.  She, 
too,  was  festively  attired,  and  she  laughed  as  she  linked 
her  arm  in  mine,  while  she  looked  critically  at  me  and 
said: 

"  How  bright  your  eyes  are  to-night,  Guinevere !  " 

At  dinner  my  mood  was  even  more  sparkling  than  it 
had  been  at  tea,  and  I  was  conscious  that  my  cheeks 
were  burning  and  my  hands  as  cold  as  ice. 

Hugh  and  Mr.  Northey  had  both  put  on  their  even- 
ing hunt  coats,  we  found,  when  we  got  to  the  morning- 
room,  where  they  were  awaiting  us.  We  had  joked 
at  tea  about  the  "  party  "  we  meant  to  have. 

Hugh's  eyes  sought  mine  in  anxious,  questioning 
pleading.  I  knew  he  was  trying  to  fathom  if  I  was 
angry  with  him;  and  that  unknown  and  hitherto  un- 
dreamed-of feminine  something  in  me  would  not  let  me 
give  him  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  that  I  was  not.  And 
all  through  dinner  I  would  not  meet  his  glance.  I 
look  back  now  at  my  behavior  and  wonder  at  myself. 

191 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

It  was  all  primitive  instinct,  the  instinct  which  made 
the  Swift  One  in  Jack  London's  wonderful  "  Before 
Adam  "  rush  through  the  trees.  Afterwards,  I  played 
the  piano  when  Letitia  and  I  were  alone,  waiting  for  the 
other  two ;  and  they  were  such  mad  things  which  came 
to  my  finger-tips.  And  I  saw  Letitia's  eyes  fixed  upon 
me  with  a  strange,  comprehensive  look,  as  much  as  to 
say,  "  I  understand  you,  Guinevere,  even  if  you  do  not 
understand  yourself."  And  this  quieted  me  a  little. 

When  the  two  men  did  join  us,  Letitia  drew  Mr. 
Northey  over  to  talk  to  her,  and  Hugh  came  and  leaned 
upon  the  piano;  and  his  face  was  full  of  suppressed 
emotion  —  not  altogether  pain. 

"  May  I  show  Mr.  Northey  the  pictures  in  the 
saloon,  Hugh?  "  Letitia  asked  suddenly.  "  We  can 
turn  on  the  lights  as  we  go  through,  if  they  are  not 
lit."  And  she  rose  and  went  toward  the  door,  followed 
by  both  of  the  men. 

I  played  on  all  the  time,  my  heart  beating  now  to 
suffocation  almost;  and  in  a  minute  or  two  Hugh  re- 
turned and,  shutting  the  door  after  him,  came  across 
the  room. 

He  stood  beside  the  piano  silently,  looking  at  me 
with  all  his  soul  in  his  eyes,  and  my  fingers  would  obey 
me  no  longer,  but  convulsively  clasped  together  in  my 
lap. 

"  Guinevere  — "  Hugh  said  breathlessly ;  and  then 
again,  "  Guinevere  —  ?  " 

And  .something  in  me  stronger  than  all  other  things 
that  have  ever  touched  my  life  made  me  rise  and  hold 
out  my  arms  to  him. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

X  WONDER  if  angels  in  heaven  can  be  any  hap- 
pier than  Hugh  and  I  are.     The  souls  of 
Adam  and  Eve  in  Paradise  could  not  have 
been   more   divinely   exalted   or  more   com- 
pletely necessary  to  each  other. 

As  the  days  pass,  everything  takes  on  a  fresh  mean- 
ing. The  whole  essence  of  life  is  being  revealed  to  me 
through  love  and  —  My  Lover.  We  have  been  too  en- 
gaged with  each  other  to  take  in  any  outside  circum- 
stance, though,  vaguely  and  gladly,  we  have  observed 
that  Mr.  Northey  has  amused  Letitia,  who  has  not  been 
bored.  We  four,  for  a  whole  fortnight,  have  laughed 
and  ridden,  and  been  gay  together,  and  all  has  gone 
weU. 

Hugh  and  I  garden  in  the  morning  —  or  what  we 
call  gardening,  which  is  walking  round  every  separate 
bed  and  site  and  greenhouse,  and  discussing  how  we  can 
improve  this  and  that.  And  then  we  have  a  canter  in 
the  park  and  Corlston  Chase,  he  on  Caesar  and  I  on 
Jenny  Wren.  Or  we  wander  all  over  the  house,  if  it 
pours  with  rain,  and  I  suggest  touches  here  and  there, 
though  it  would  be  difficult  to  make  it  more  perfect. 
And  I  am  getting  to  know  every  one  of  Hugh's  idiosyn- 
crasies ;  his  dear  little  selfishnesses  —  his  fads  —  his 
generosity  —  and  his  point  of  view.  He  is  -masterful 
and  tender  with  me,  making  me  always  do  what  he 
wants  and  then  asking  me  if  it  isn't  what  I  want  —  and 
of  course  it  always  is ! 

193 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

When  Humphrey,  without  consulting  my  wishes,  or- 
dered me  to  do  a  thing,  I  obeyed  in  the  beginning  from 
sheer  fear,  and  afterward  for  peace;  though  always 
resentfully  or  rebelliously.  But  I  adore  it  when  Hugh 
orders  me  about;  it  gives  the  exquisite  sense  of  posses- 
sion, though  I  feel  as  if  I  wished  to  do  the  very  thing 
he  is  commanding,  on  my  own  account.  Hugh  knows 
this,  and  craftily  plays  upon  my  emotions  over  it,  to 
our  mutual  enchantment.  He  has  such  dear  ways! 
And  after  being  a  frozen  stone,  and  cold  as  ice  for 
thirty-one  years,  it  is  so  unspeakably  divine  to  allow 
myself  to  melt  and  revel  in  warmth  and  affection.  He 
takes  the  deepest  interest  in  everything  about  me  — 
the  least  detail  of  my  clothes,  even.  He  seems  to  want 
to  share  with  me  to  the  last  thoughts  of  our  souls.  And 
every  day  we  read  some  beautiful  book  together,  spend- 
ing whole  hours  in  the  library  or  his  sitting-room,  get- 
ting down  this  one  and  that,  and  finding  out  pet  pages 
in  it ;  and  we  discuss  all  the  points,  and  give  each  other 
fresh  views.  Then  he  tells  me  of  his  duties  in  the 
county,  and  among  his  people,  and  how  he  thinks  they 
ought  to  be  fulfilled;  and  of  the  duties  of  Englishmen 
generally — each  one  to  justify  his  place  and  complete 
a  noble  whole.  And  we  discuss  problems  of  ethics,  and 
our  views  upon  principles  of  life  and  the  meaning  of 
things.  It  seems,  as  Hugh  says,  that  we  have  each 
provided  the  igniting  spark  for  the  other's  stored 
thoughts,  and  our  perfect  sympathy  together  brings 
them  forth. 

And  nothing  could  be  more  refined  and  careful  and 
protective  than  is  his  attitude  to  me  before  people — • 
the  servants,  and  even  Letitia  and  Mr.  Northey.  Not 
by  a  word  or  look  does  he  suggest  anything  but  re- 
spectful friendship.  There  is  a  great  deal  in  breeding; 

194 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

it  makes  all  the  small  things  of  life  between  two  people 
move  without  jars.  I  thought  of  this  definition  of  a 
gentleman  the  other  morning,  when  something  excep- 
tional cropped  up.  "  What  is  it  that  makes  a  man  a 
gentleman?  It  is  having  that  instinctive  knowledge  of 
correct  behavior  and  high  honor  which  does  not  even 
require  an  unwritten  law  as  a  guide."  It  could  hardly 
be  more  exemplified  than  it  is  in  Hugh. 

Letitia  and  I  talk  together  in  her  room  at  night 
sometimes ;  it  seems  almost  as  if  she  were  changing,  too, 
in  this  atmosphere  of  peace  and  love.  She  says  she 
never  really  knew  Hugh  before,  although  they  have 
been  friends  for  ten  years,  and  that  none  of  her  friends 
would  recognize  him  as  he  is  with  us  now. 

"  I  said  long  ago  that  you  were  a  witch,  Guinevere," 
she  said.  "  Do  you  remember?  I  said  it  in  play,  but 
it  is  true,  it  would  seem,  because  you  have  altered  and 
brought  out  and  completed  this  man,  who  is  thirty-six 
years  old,  and  has  been  spoilt  and  worshipped  by 
women,  ruled  men,  and  hunted  wild  beasts  all  his  life !  " 

I  laughed  my  contentment. 

"  I  really  believe  you  were  made  for  one  another, 
and  that  neither  of  you  will  ever  love  any  one  else," 
she  went  on  meditatively.  "  It  is  a  thousand  pities,  in 
a  case  like  this,  that  you  cannot  marry  each  other." 

I  felt  a  quiver  of  pain,  the  first  one  that  has  come. 
! Letitia  saw  it,  and  added  hurriedly: 

"  Well,  never  mind,  pet.  After  all,  you  are  going  to 
be  happy  for  three  months  now,  at  least — -and  that 
is  more  than  most  women  get  out  of  life." 

My  will  reasserted  itself  and  banished  the  pain. 

"  Gerald  Northey  is  the  best  tonic  I  have  had  for 
years,"  Letitia  continued.  "  He  completes  my  rest- 
cure.  He  is  as  fresh  as  new-mown  hay,  and  he  thinks 

195 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

I  am  such  an  angel  that,  of  course,  I  have  to  be  one. 
This  charming  time  we  are  having  will  set  me  up  for 
the  whole  season.  Such  a  mercy  his  not  coming  to 
London  often,  too!  I  can  keep  him  as  a  sort  of  out- 
door, thoroughly  healthy  pastime,  perhaps  for  two  or 
three  years.  I  won't  let  the  others  even  see  him  —  they 
would  tarnish  him  at  once." 

I  thought  how  true  this  was,  and  how  strong  Hugh 
must  be  really,  not  to  have  become  irreclaimably  tar- 
nished after  receiving  their  incense  for  over  ten  years. 

I  am  not  allowed  to  go  and  see  what  is  happening  at 
Redwood.  Hugh  rides  over  and  consults  with  Harting- 
ton  every  few  days.  It  appears  the  moat  cannot  pos- 
sibly be  finished  for  another  fortnight  at  least.  They 
are  discovering  wonderful  things  in  their  draggings, 
among  them  in  the  dry  mud  at  the  side  a  skeleton  by 
the  wall  just  under  the  west  window  of  the  turret,  and 
some  links  of  chain  near.  Could  this  be  the  poor  Cava- 
lier? It  was  never  understood  what  eventually  became 
of  him ;  he  remained  one  of  those  mysteries  like  Konigs- 
marck  was  for  so  many  years,  until  that  hapless  lover's 
body  was  discovered  buried  beneath  the  very  threshold 
his  unhappy  Sophia  was  constantly  obliged  to  pass 
over  —  a  fiendish  irony  which  Humphrey,  I  remember, 
chuckled  at  when,  a  long  time  ago,  he  happened  to  read 
this  in  a  book.  The  Bohun  spirit  would  enjoy  situa- 
tions like  that.  It  is  there  in  Humphrey  and  my  son 
probably  as  strong  as  ever,  after  all  these  hundreds  of 
years. 

Dear  old  Doctor  Burnley  came  to  see  me  this  morn- 
ing, and  said  he  was  completely  taken  off  his  feet  with 
surprise  at  my  appearance.  I  was  growing  as  robust 
as  my  sister,  and  looked  like  a  blooming  girl. 

"  How  right  you  were,  doctor,  to  insist  upon  her 
196 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

coming  up  here,  weren't  you?  "  Letitia  said  innocently. 
"  I  shall  tell  the  General  how  clever  and  sensible  you 
have  been  with  Mrs.  Bohun." 

And  the  doctor  smiled,  well  pleased  to  accept  this 
burden  of  praise. 

Hugh  has  had  a  piano  moved  into  his  own  sitting- 
room,  because  after  tea  one  of  his  supreme  pleasures 
is  for  me  to  play  to  him  while  he  sits  in  a  big  chair 
near.  He  does  not  doze,  like  Humphrey ;  he  listens  to 
every  note,  and  we  go  together  into  the  most  exquisite 
dreamlands.  And  when  I  have  finished  we  sit  on  the 
sofa,  side  by  side,  and  he  reads  to  me,  and  although 
we  could  both  say  all  Rossetti's  Sonnets  by  heart,  we 
read  those  often,  because  now  we  know  what  every  one 
of  them  means. 

One  afternoon  he  had  a  fall  while  trying  a  new  horse 
over  a  hurdle;  he  was  not  hurt  really,  but  his  temples 
ached  a  little,  and  I  made  him  lie  on  the  sofa  and  put 
his  dear  head  on  my  breast  while  I  held  and  petted  and 
caressed  him  as  though  he  had  been  a  tired  baby  —  Oh ! 
the  exquisite  tenderness  of  that  memory. 

Hugh  has  had  my  photographs  framed  in  a  case 
which  he  keeps  locked.  He  has  taken  some  more  of  me, 
too,  and  they  are  wonderfully  like.  We  developed  them 
ourselves  in  his  dark  room,  and  had  such  fun  over  H, 
and  made  such  a  mess.  The  best  of  all  is  a  large  full 
plate  of  me  absolutely  comfortable  on  the  sofa,  reading, 
and  it  shows  the  panelling  of  the  room  and  one  of  the 
Van  der  Veldes  as  a  background. 

"  I  love  this  one  most,  darling,"  Hugh  said  when  we 
first  printed  it.  "  I  shall  always  look  at  it  when  we 
have  to  be  separated.  It  seems  exactly  as  if  you  must 
be  really  my  wife  in  it  —  lying  there  so  at  rest  upon 
your  sofa  in  my  room." 

197 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

I  thrilled. 

"  I  never  think  of  you  as  anything  else  but  that, 
sweetheart,  you  know."  And  he  held  my  face  in  his 
hands  and  looked  with  the  purest  reverence  down  into 
my  eyes.  "  And  I  am  a  great  deal  more  than  a  lover 
now,  am  I  not,  Guinevere  ?  " 

"  You  are  everything,  Hugh  —  the  whole  of  my  life. 
It  is  simply  ridiculous  and  meaningless  to  suppose  I 
could  ever,  or  have  ever  belonged  to  any  one  else.  I 
had  no  more  choice  about  marrying  Humphrey  than  a 
baby  would  have  had.  I  hated  the  idea  always,  and 
had  not  the  faintest  notion  what  marriage  meant,  in 
any  case.  And  it  is  only  by  law  that  I  am  bound  to 
him  still  as  a  slave,  before  the  world  —  there  is  no 
marriage  between  us ;  there  has  not  been  for  nearly  ten 
years.  I  believe  he  would  be  very  glad  to  get  rid  of 
me  if  it  were  *  the  thing  to  do.'  But  he  would  kill  me 
without  a  moment's  hesitation  if  he  knew  that  I  had  a 
lover  —  he  has  often  told  me  he  would.  He  has  not 
the  slightest  sense  of  justice ;  he  would  kill  me  to  avenge 
the  Bohun  vanity  —  that  is  all." 

Hugh's  eyes  grew  black  and  fierce. 

"  Oh !  the  cruelty  of  it !  "  he  said.  "  And  yet,  now 
could  the  law  be  altered  to  fit  all  cases  ?  "  Then  he 
went  on  in  his  just,  even  way:  "  To  have  no  marriage 
law,  or  divorces  like  the  Americans  have,  would  bring 
chaos  to  England,  I  suppose." 

"  Hugh,"  I  said,  "  I  am  certain  that  everything 
which  happens  to  us  is  the  result  of  our  own  action  in 
this  life  or  some  other.  Many  of  the  things  we  suffer 
we  have  actually  drawn  to  ourselves  in  this  existence 
before  we  knew  or  realized  the  law  of  cause  and  effect. 
I  do  not  feel  the  least  a  sinner  in  having  you  for  my 
dear  lover,  circumstances  being  as  they  are,  but  I 

198 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

should  feel  one  if  I  were  hurting  even  Humphrey,  whom 
I  almost  hate,  or  Algernon,  whom  I  almost  love." 

"  Dear  little  girl  —  reasoning  it  all  out !  "  Hugh 
smiled  tenderly.  "  I  am  different  to  you.  I  have  not 
reasoned  anything;  I  have  just  loved  you  without  car- 
ing or  counting  any  cost  —  except  to  you,  Beloved 
One.  I  will  always  think  of  costs  for  you.  When  the 
General  comes  back  — " 

But  I  put  my  hand  over  his  mouth  gently. 

"  Hush !  "  I  said.  "  We  are  not  going  to  think  or 
talk  of  that  yet.  He  has  not  been  gone  four  weeks, 
and  he  does  not  return  until  June.  Please,  let  us  for- 
get that  there  is  any  time  after  that  —  or,  rather,  I 
mean  to  live  until  then  as  if  joy  was  going  on  forever. 
You  told  me  to,  Hugh." 

"  Yes,  this  is  much  the  best  way,"  he  agreed.  "  We 
will  both  stop  our  thoughts  if  they  wander  to  any  spec- 
ulations. Now,  come  out  and  see  the  new  vine  being 
put  in,  where  the  old  one  died.  We  shall  have  splendid 
grapes  on  it  in  two  years'  time." 


Letitia  and  I  have  been  at  Minton  Dremont  for  over 
four  weeks,  and  the  moat  at  Redwood  is  not  finished 
yet;  and  Letitia  proposed  we  should  go  up  to  London 
in  a  few  days  and  go  to  the  theatres.  It  is  early 
March  now,  and  most  people  are  away  abroad.  Her 
friends,  at  all  events,  are  not  there  en  bande,  and  will 
not  be  so  likely  to  concern  themselves  at  our  doings. 

"  Langthorpe  will  be  back  from  Monte  Carlo,"  Le- 
titia said,  "  and  I  want  to  see  the  old  boy  for  a  little. 
There  are  several  boring  dinners  I  give,  too,  at  this 
time  of  the  year.  It  saves  my  duties  in  the  season." 

So  we  all  motored  up  to  London,  leaving  Petrov 
199 


GUINEVERE'S    LOVER 

safely  under  the  housekeeper's  charge  at  Minton  Dre- 
mont. 

My  heart  was  heavy  at  leaving,  although  I  should 
still  see  my  lover  every  day,  probably.  But  nothing 
could  be  so  perfect  as  being  at  peace  in  his  own  house. 
Hugh  was  very  depressed,  too,  the  last  evening.  He 
and  I  sat  alone  in  his  sitting-room  —  Mr.  Northey  had 
gone,  and  Letitia  retired  early  after  dinner. 

Hugh  would  not  even  let  me  play  to  him.  He  could 
not  bear  me  to  be  so  far  away,  and  we  sat  like  two 
children  before  the  fire  on  the  sofa,  with  arms  en- 
twined. 

"  There  is  something  about  the  spring-time,  with 
everything  beginning  to  grow,  which  affects  one 
strangely,  does  it  not,  Guinevere?  "  Hugh  said.  "  The 
buds  are  all  swollen  in  the  hedges,  ready  to  burst  forth 
soon,  and  the  infant  lambs  are  quite  frolicsome.  Na- 
ture has  the  strongest  suggestion  in  everything,  has 
she  not,  darling?  It  means  more  than  ever  to  me  this 
year.  Do  you  feel  it,  too  ?  " 

A  faint  shiver  went  through  me. 

"  I  could  understand  it  all,  Hugh,"  I  whispered.  "  It 
is  in  my  temperament  to  feel  those  things ;  but  the 
spring  has  always  made  me  sad,  hitherto."  And  I  nes- 
tled closer  to  him.  "  It  was  at  the  end  of  March  when 
I  first  saw  Humphrey  —  Fraulein  Strauss  and  I  were 
having  tea  in  the  schoolroom,  and  my  father  brought 
him  in.  He  seemed  such  a  great,  powerful  man,  tower- 
ing above  papa  —  I  was  afraid  of  him  directly.  You 
see,  I  was  quite  a  child  then,  with  my  hair  in  a  pigtail, 
although  I  would  be  seventeen  in  June.  Ah !  it  was  all 
horrible.  And  we  were  married  just  a  few  weeks  after- 
ward, in  May,  a  month  before  my  birthday ;  and  Alger- 
non was  born  in  the  beginning  of  the  following  March. 

200 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

That  was  fourteen  years  ago  last  week,  the  sixth  of 
March.  Oh !  I  hate  to  remember  what  the  spring  seemed 
to  mean.  I  was  so  horribly  ill,  and  so  frightened.  I 
had  none  of  the  mother's  feelings  I  ought  to  have  had; 
the  whole  thing  was  a  nightmare  of  terror  and  pain. 
Letitia  and  I  were  not  the  friends  we  are  now,  in  those 
days,  and  there  were  only  Humphrey's  stern,  robust 
sisters  instructing  me  in  my  duties,  and  making  me  get 
up  too  soon." 

Hugh  held  me  very  tightly,  and  the  fierce  light  I 
know  so  well  grew  again  in  his  dear  eyes. 

"  How  hideously  cruel !  "  he  said.  "  The  ways  of 
men  are  perfectly  incredible,  aren't  they,  darling?  — 
And  so  that  is  all  they  have  made  you  think  of  the 
spring-time!  No  wonder  you  hate  it,  and  shrink  from 
understanding  those  mysterious  longing  emotions  to- 
ward reproduction  it  provokes.  Ah!  if  you  really  be- 
longed to  me,  how  differently  I  would  teach  you  to 
think  of  it,  and  how  happy  we  should  both  be  then !  " 

I  cannot  say  how  deeply  this  moved  me.  I  could  not 
make  any  reply,  but  Hugh  understood  very  well. 

"  And  to  think  that  before  I  met  you  I,  too,  was 
growing  callous  and  cynical  about  most  subjects,"  he 
went  on ;  "  and  if  a  thing  pleased  me,  I  took  it  with 
never  a  backward  thought.  You  have  been  to  me  like 
an  angel,  Guinevere,  gilding  everything  with  your  pu- 
rity and  your  sweetness.  People  have  such  a  strange 
idea  of  that  word  purity.  For  some  it  means  a  rigid, 
barren  asceticism,  and  consists  merely  in  the  crushing 
out  of  all  sex  and  all  warmth.  For  me  it  means  the 
realization  of  sweet  nature  in  its  most  elevated  mood, 
with  truth  and  sympathy  exalted  and  sanctified." 

"  Oh !  my  dear  —  and  have  I  meant  all  that  to  you?  " 
I  asked.. 

201 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

**  You  have  meant  to  me  everything  that  a  woman 
can  mean  to  a  man,  Guinevere,  when  she  is  his  absolute 
jnate." 

And  he  folded  me  in  his  arms. 


A  new  mood  has  come  upon  us  in  London  —  a  more 
passionate  one.  The  ridiculous  music  in  the  comic 
operas  even  excites  some  sense.  Hugh  hates  to  be 
away  from  me  a  second,  and  he  says  he  feels  jealous 
when  we  go  out  and  any  one  chances  to  look  at  me,  or 
the  others  of  the  party  monopolize  my  attention.  We 
are  generally  six  —  with  Langthorpe  and  some  nice 
woman  for  him,  and  a  young  man  for  Letitia. 

"  If  you  were  really  my  wife,  Guinevere,  I  would  not 
be  such  an  ass,"  Hugh  said  this  morning,  as  we  sat  in 
the  heliotrope  sitting-room.  "  I  should  be  only  pleased, 
then,  and  proud  of  your  success.  But  it  is  the  fret  of 
acting  indifference  and  never  being  certain  I  am  going 
to  see  you  alone  afterward.  I  feel  jealous  of  every 
person  and  every  moment  which  keeps  you  from  me 
when  we  have  this  limited  time  together.  How  I  wish 
we  had  not  left  Minton  Dremont !  " 

"Alas!  so  do  I." 

"  I  want  you  to  come  for  Easter,  darling;  it  is  the 
fifteenth  of  April.  My  sister  will  be  with  me,  and  her 
children ;  and  Algernon  and  Burbridge  have  such  a  high 
old  time  together.  On  the  Easter  Tuesday  I  have  asked 
the  same  people  down  for  the  races  and  the  ball  as  last 
year.  They  are  only  going  to  stay  until  the  end  of 
the  week,  but  for  that  time,  perhaps,  you  would  rather 
go  back  to  Redwood.  Letitia  thought  it  would  be  ex- 
tremely unwise  not  to  have  them  for  this  festivity,  as 
they  are  always  accustomed  to  come,  and  she  suggested 

202 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

to  me  last  night  that  you  should  ask  old  Jack  Kaird 
and  herself  and  Langthorpe,  and  any  one  of  the  Bohun 
tribe  you  can  think  of,  to  Redwood,  and  we  should  com- 
bine parties.  What  do  you  think  of  this  plan?  " 

"  It  seems  a  good  one,"  I  agreed.  "  We  must  get 
accustomed  to  the  exigencies  and  obligations  of  life, 
Hugh ;  we  cannot  be  in  Paradise  forever,  can  we  ?  — 
alas!" 

So  this  was  all  arranged,  and  next  week  I  go  down 
alone  to  Redwood  for  a  few  days,  to  settle  things  for 
this  party,  and  then  move  to  Minton  Dremont  when 
Algernon  returns,  which  happens  to  be  the  Thursday 
before  Easter ;  and  there  we  shall  stay  until  the  Tues- 
day morning,  with  Lady  Morvaine,  going  back  to  Red- 
wood to  be  in  time  to  receive  Letitia  and  Langthorpe 
and  our  four  other  guests. 

But  the  joy  can  never  be  so  great  again  as  were 
those  short  weeks  of  perfect  freedom  in  Hugh's  home, 
with  Letitia  and  Gerald  Northey  and  my  Lover  and  I 
—  alone ! 


14 


CHAPTER  XIX 
APRIL,  1906 

last  week  in  London  was  a  strange  one. 
There  occurred  difficulties  about  my  seeing1 
Hugh  even  with  Letitia's  kindest  connivance. 
One  thing  after  another  cropped  up,  and  it 
drove  him  nearly  mad  with  the  torment  of  it,  so  that 
when  it  was  possible  to  be  alone  with  him,  it  seemed  to 
react  upon  him  and  produce  a  wild  fit  of  passion  — 
teaching  me  a  new  side  of  him.  I  am  learning  things  in 
my  own  nature,  too,  of  which  I  did  not  dream.  If  one 
loves  a  man  with  the  whole  of  one's  being  of  body  and 
soul  —  as  I  love  Hugh  — •  it  is  impossible  to  make  com- 
parisons in  his  moods,  or  decide  that  one  prefers  this 
one  or  that.  One  accepts  them  all  with  tenderness  and 
comprehension  growing  in  the  understanding  of  them  as 
time  goes  on.  I  dare  say  there  are  some  women  who 
rule  men,  and,  so  to  speak,  set  the  pace  in  everything 
between  them  —  but  I  am  not  one  of  these.  Hugh 
leads  always,  though  he  loves  me  so  he  would  invariably 
consider  what  I  wished. 

Last  night  —  before  I  came  down  here  to  Redwood 
—  we  had  an  hour  alone  in  Letitia's  sitting-room,  and 
we  talked  of  the  strange,  mighty  on-rolling  of  passion, 
and  what  a  supreme  master  it  is ;  and  Hugh  picked  up 
our  book  of  Rossetti's  Sonnets  which  I  had  been  com- 
forting myself  with  before  he  came  in,  and  he  found  the 
fifty-seventh  one,  and  read  it  to  me  aloud. 

204 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

"  This  is  exactly  like  you,  Guinevere,"  he  said,  "  an 
absolute  portrait  —  and  what  a  triumph  for  me  to 
know,  to  all  others,  that  *  glass '  wil1  turn  '  ice  to  the 
Moon.'  But  once  or  twice  I  have  wondered,  like  the 
poet  in  his  last  two  lines: 

Ah!  who  shall  say  she  deems  not  loveliest 
The  hour  of  sisterly  sweet  hand-in-hand? 

Tell  me,  is  it  so,  Guinevere?  "  and  his  deep  voice  had  a 
wistful  note  in  it,  even  a  little  anxious. 

"  Rossetti  himself  could  not  answer  that  question 
with  certainty,  dear  love,"  I  said,  "  so  how  can  I? 
When  passion  is  burning,  it  is  one  expression  of  the 
same  thing  as  when  tenderness  is  hand  in  hand.  Neither 
would  be  complete  without  the  other  to  contrast  it  with 
at  times.  If  we  had  only  passion  —  it  would  destroy 
our  love  with  flame,  and  if  we  had  only  tenderness  it 
would  make  it  faint.  It  is  because  the  balance  is  equal 
that  we  are  happy  —  do  not  let  us  question  about  it." 

But  Hugh's  eyes  still  looked  wistful. 

"  I  thought  —  lately  —  that  perhaps  my  passion  was 
growing  —  growing  so  that  it  might  weary  you.  Tell 
me  —  I  am  restless  —  Guinevere." 

"  You  could  never  weary  me,  Hugh,  whatever  you 
expressed.  Turn  those  pages  back  to  sonnet  fifteen, 
and  you  will  see  what  we  are,  just  as  you  told  me  in 
Richmond  Park  —  the  proof  of  what  the  old  Brahman 
said  to  you." 

He  found  the  place  and  read.  Then  he  looked  com- 
forted. 

"  It  is  the  gall  of  things,"  he  said.  "  When  I  am 
with  you  once  more  in  tranquillity  at  Minton  Dremont, 
I  shall  be  as  I  was  before,  darling." 

205 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

But  however  he  is,  I  adore  him !  —  so  of  what  use  to 
speculate? 


It  seems  strange  to  be  at  Redwood  Moat  alone;  but 
it  is  quiet,  and  I  can  think  of  my  Beloved.  It  is  the 
first  time  since  we  met  on  the  eleventh  of  February, 
until  I  came  here  on  the  ninth  of  April,  that  we  have 
not  seen  each  other  every  day.  I  feel  very  solitary,  but 
not  jarred  as  I  would  be  were  others  present;  and  I  sit 
up  alone  in  my  turret  room  in  the  evening  and  dream 
—  exquisite  dreams  of  remembrance !  I  go  over  every 
single  incident  from  our  first  meeting,  and  recall  all  my 
own  emotions  and  the  expression  of  his.  I  picture 
Hugh  as  he  appeared  this  time  last  year,  when  I  first 
met  him  —  and  I  love  to  remember  the  change  in  him 
there  is  now.  I  have  only  two  more  days  by  myself; 
then  Algernon  comes  and  we  move  to  Minton  Dremont. 
I  do  not  care  in  the  least  if  this  is  unconventional  or 
not  —  Algernon  will  be  perfectly  enchanted,  and  so 
shall  I.  But  sweet  as  Lady  Morvaine  is,  she  is  not  Le- 
titia,  and  a  great  deal  more  ceremony  must  be  kept  up. 
There  can  be  no  more  sitting  in  Hugh's  sitting-room 
alone  with  him  in  the  evenings  after  dinner,  when  the 
coffee  has  come.  Though  he  says  we  can  be  together  in 
the  late  afternoons  —  and  his  sister  never  comes  into 
his  wing.  My  room,  which  I  am  going  back  to,  has  its 
real  approach  from  the  gallery  and  the  great  stair- 
case; but  we  never  used  that  way,  as  we  were  so  cozy, 
we  four  —  Letitia  and  Gerald  Northey  and  my  lover 
and  I  —  with  just  the  morning-room  for  our  drawing- 
room,  and  the  breakfast-room  for  our  dining-room  — 
close  together  next  Hugh's  wing. 

Just  now,  as  I  sat  here  in  front  of  the  fire  an  owl 
206 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

flew  round  the  turret  and  made  its  peculiar,  weird  cry. 
And  a  sudden,  horrible,  unaccountable  fear  came  over 
me  —  fear  of  I  could  not  say  what,  nor  why  I  should 
feel  it.  And,  agitated,  my  thoughts  would  rush  for- 
ward to  the  recollection  of  the  return  of  Humphrey 
about  the  fifth  of  June.  Mercifully,  he  will  not  be  here 
for  my  birthday,  which  is  on  the  fourth,  and  Hugh  is 
coming  with  me  to  Eton  to  see  Algernon.  Lady  Mor- 
vaine  will  be  there  also,  seeing  her  son.  And  next  day 
will  be  the  end  of  joy. 

I  used  the  whole  of  my  will  to  banish  this  remem- 
brance. I  resolutely  made  myself  think  of  only  pleas- 
ant things,  but  it  would  return  —  and  every  time  the 
owl's  melancholy  hoot  was  heard,  fresh  disquiet  came  to 
me. 

Suddenly  voices  seemed  to  whisper,  "  Live  while  you 
can,  poor  fool ;  the  prison  walls  will  close  again,"  and  it 
seemed  that  just  from  under  the  west  window  there 
came  a  pitiful  groan,  and  then  a  fiendish  laugh.  I  was 
so  horribly  startled,  I  bounded  to  my  feet,  and  there 
sat  Petrov,  whom  I  had  brought  over  from  Minton 
Dremont  to-day,  with  his  eyes  one  black  pupil,  and  his 
short  velvet  fur  bristled  on  his  back,  standing  before 
the  bedroom  door  in  an  attitude  of  terrified  defence. 

What  could  it  mean?  I  was  sick  with  a  nameless 
dread.  What  did  Petrov  see?  Then  I  got  out  Hugh's 
photographs  —  one  of  our  snapshots  done  of  us  to- 
gether looking  so  happy  and  gay  —  and  another,  a 
cabinet-sized  one  of  just  his  head,  with  his  dear  eyes 
gazing  out  straight  into  mine  —  and  their  message  of 
love  comforted  me,  and  brought  back  my  nerve  and 
calm,  and  I  turned  and  said  aloud :  "  Whatever  and 
whoever  you  are,  begone!  I  am  protected  by  God  and 
true  love,"  and  after  that  the  owl's  worst  cries  had  no 

207 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

more  effect  upon  me,  and  Petrov  came  back  and  purred 
on  my  knee.  But  it  is  hateful  to  think  that  this  must 
be  my  home  for  the  rest  of  my  life.  I  must  be  strong 
and  rise  superior  to  environment.  Hugh's  love  must 
surround  me  always. 


The  first  thing  Algernon  exclaimed  when  he  saw  me 
on  the  station  platform  was :  "  Oh !  mum,  how  well 
you  look.  You  have  never  been  so  jolly  strong,  and 
not  pasty !  "  And  this  unconscious  tribute  to  the  re- 
sult that  happiness  has  brought  to  me  pleased  me.  Al- 
gernon himself,  whom  I  had  not  seen  since  he  went  to 
Eton  in  the  autumn  half,  except  when  he  came  up  to 
wish  his  father  farewell,  is  enormously  grown;  he  is  so 
aggressive  and  noisy.  He  was  quite  glad  to  see  me,  and 
tall  for  fourteen,  as  tall  as  I  am,  and  wonderfully  hand- 
some, and  he  has  acquired  that  delightful  air  of  a  man 
of  the  world!  I  remember  Bob  had  it;  I  expect  Eton 
gives  it.  His  manners  have  improved,  too,  and  are  less 
aggressive  and  noisy.  He  was  quite  glad  to  see  me,  and 
asked  every  question  about  the  horses  and  about  the 
cleaning  of  the  moat  —  which  he  would  so  have  en- 
joyed. 

"  Fancy  their  finding  that  jolly  old  skeleton,"  he 
said.  "  What  fun !  I  expect  it  was  the  Cavalier  — 
served  him  right,  lurking  round  the  Bohuns'  house  — 
but  I  wish  he  had  been  a  Roundhead,  don't  you,  mum? 
I  like  the  Cavaliers  best;  Roundheads  were  probably 
mostly  cads.  Father  is  ashamed  of  that  turn  of  the 
family,  though  he  says  that  is  what  has  kept  us  owning 
a  shilling  now !  " 

He  could  hardly  wait  until  we  arrived  in  the  court- 
yard in  his  eagerness  to  rush  to  the  stables,  where  I  left 

208 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

him  with  the  stud  groom  in  a  seventh  heaven  of  delight 
to  see  the  horses,  and  Snack  and  Pip,  and  hear  of  all 
their  doings. 

I  had  not  written  to  inform  him  we  were  going  at 
tea-time  to  Minton  Dremont,  so  when  he  came  presently 
bounding  up  the  turret  stairs  to  my  shrine  I  had  this 
piece  of  good  news  for  him. 

To  be  with  Burbridge,  who  is  two  years  older  than 
himself,  and  growing  into  a  "  swell  "  at  Eton,  was  a 
pure  joy! 

Petrov  remembered  my  son,  it  would  seem,  for  I 
heard  a  faint  hiss  from  under  the  table.  And  Algernon 
exclaimed  disgustedly: 

"  You've  still  got  that  horrid  beast,  mother !  I  hoped 
he'd  been  caught  in  a  trap  before  now." 

I  did  not  answer  him ;  there  was  no  use.  I  only  told 
him  to  go  and  get  ready  to  start. 

"  What  a  mercy  father  is  away,  isn't  it?  "  he  said, 
as  he  went  off  through  my  room.  "  He'd  never  have 
consented  to  turn  out  of  this  dungeon  to  go  and  have 
some  fun  at  Minton  Dremont  with  Sir  Hugh.  I  wish 
he'd  stay  away  for  all  the  summer  holidays,  too,  don't 
you?  " 

Algernon  is  like  the  east  wind  —  a  great  wonderful 
thing,  shaking  the  trees  and  tossing  the  waves  while 
the  sky  is  cloudless,  icy  blue,  and  the  sun  glares,  but 
hardly  warms.  He  is  a  strong,  magnificent  animal 
creature,  but  if  he  has  any  soul  I  have  not  yet  seen 
peeps  of  it. 

I  felt  rasped  —  I  can  explain  it  in  no  other  way ;  he 
and  his  father  always  make  me  feel  as  though  I  had 
been  out  in  the  east  wind,  and  I  was  horribly  conscious 
of  it  now. 

With  this  element  in  our  party,  it  did  not  seem  there 
209 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

would  be  so  much  sweet  quiet  at  Minton  Dremont  as 
there  had  been. 

Lady  Morvaine  greeted  us  most  kindly,  and  we  had 
tea  in  the  saloon,  with  the  three  young  people  down  for 
this  first  day. 

"  To-morrow,  they  will  be  much  happier  all  together 
in  the  old  schoolroom,"  Lady  Morvaine  said,  "  and 
Mrs.  Howitt  (the  housekeeper)  to  pour  out  for  them; 
my  two  have  known  her  since  they  were  born,  and  she 
spoils  them  terribly." 

I  understand  Hugh  so  well  now  I  can  read  his  every 
expression  and  generally  fathom  his  thoughts,  and  I 
could  see  that  he  was  using  control  to  be  friendly  and 
casual.  His  eyes  had  blazed  with  joy  when  he  came  in 
and  found  us  there,  and  I  knew  he  was  restive  until  the 
moment  should  come  when  he  and  I  could  be  alone 
again.  Lady  Morvaine  took  me  up  to  my  room  after 
tea,  in  her  kind,  gentle  way,  and  remained  talking 
some  time,  and  there  left  me,  saying  I  might  wish  to 
rest  or  write  letters  until  dinner ;  and  ten  minutes  after- 
ward I  was  softly  going  down  the  stairs  which  lead  to 
Hugh's  sitting-room,  where  I  found  him  standing  in 
rigid  impatience  by  the  fireplace. 

Oh !  the  joy  to  be  once  more  in  his  arms ! 

"  How  unspeakable  these  days  have  been,  Guine- 
vere !  "  he  said  presently,  when  we  sat  upon  the  sofa. 
"  One  long  ache  —  and  now  the  restrictions !  I  am 
irritated  even  with  Adelaide,  who  is  one  of  the  best  souls 
in  the  world !  " 

"  We  are  perfect  geese,  Hugh.  I  believe  we  should 
like  to  be  on  a  desert  island  all  alone." 

"  No ;  but  we  should  like  to  be  married  and  human, 
and  always  together  naturally,  as  we  ought  to  be,  dar- 
ling, that  is  all,"  and  he  stroked  my  hair. 

210 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

It  was  some  little  while  before  I  could  get  him  to 
be  soothed  and  tranquil  and  happy  as  we  used  to  be  in 
this  room;  but  by  the  time  I  went  to  dress  for  dinner, 
all  the  atmosphere  was  sweetness  again. 

"  Darling,"  he  said,  linking  his  arm  in  mine  in  dear, 
possessive  familiarity,  as  we  walked  toward  the  door, 
"  we  have  got  to  go  round  and  look  at  every  one  of  our 
plantings  and  arrangings  to-morrow  morning.  We  have 
been  away  from  them  for  over  a  month,  and  must  see 
how  they  are  getting  on." 

Ah,  me!  I  am  indeed  content  and  at  home  in  the 
house  of  my  Beloved. 


The  swift  days  pass;  one  settles  down  to  changes  if 
they  are  not  altogether'  distasteful,  and  we  are  now 
accustomed  to  the  extra  strain  of  necessary  manreu- 
vrings  to  be  alone  that  the  absence  of  Letitia  and  the 
presence  of  others  enforce,  and  we  contrive  not  to  be 
separated  for  long  at  a  time.  It  is  even  an  excitement, 
I  think,  and  causes  an  extra  fillip  to  joy  when  we  know 
we  have  a  clear  hour  in  front  of  us.  Hugh,  however, 
is  not  of  this  opinion,  and  I  often  see  impatience  on  his 
face.  He  has  ordered  and  ruled  everything  to  his  will 
always,  and  cannot  stand  the  slightest  check.  To-mor- 
row —  Tuesday  —  Algernon  and  I  go  back  to  Redwood 
Moat  again,  alas !  and  Hugh's  party  come.  He  is  fum- 
ing at  this  more  as  each  day  goes  by.  But  in  spite  of 
these  things  we  have  been  divinely  happy. 

This  afternoon,  while  Lady  Morvaine  and  I  were 
alone  —  Hugh  being  out  riding  with  the  children  just 
before  tea  —  she  talked  to  me  in  a  strain  she  had  not 
done  before.  She  is  a  gentle,  reserved  woman,  but  I 
believe  is  very  attached  to  me.  I  do  not  think  she  has 

211 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

the  slightest  idea  her  brother  loves  me  so  much  —  but  I 
am  not  absolutely  sure.  If  I  could  be,  it  would  settle  a 
matter  in  my  mind. 

"  We  are  all  so  very  fond  of  this  place,"  she  began 
by  saying.  "  My  younger  sister,  Lily  Forrester,  whom 
you  have  not  met  yet,  I  think,  and  Hugh  and  I ;  we  have 
always  loved  it  much  better  than  Brasdale,  the  northern 
property.  The  house  there  was  burnt  down  when  we 
were  children,  and,  in  any  case,  the  smoke  of  the  town 
is  growing  too  near,  it  has  spread  so.  We  all  do  wish 
Hugh  would  marry ;  it  is  a  thousand  pities,  isn't  it,  that 
he  does  not?  " 

I  said  yes,  that  it  was,  as  well  as  I  could,  and  she 
went  on: 

"  Victor  Dremont  and  his  children  are  the  most  hope- 
less people;  every  time  we  remember  that  it  must  all 
go  to  them  if  Hugh  does  not  have  a  son,  it  hurts.  You 
can  feel  for  us,  I  am  sure,  with  your  own  splendid  boy, 
dear  Mrs.  Bohun." 

I  tried  to  look  sympathetic,  but  I  really  could  not 
speak  — •  it  scorched  me,  in  to  my  soul.  She  continued 
in  this  way,  lamenting  and  recounting  to  me  family  his- 
tories until  I  felt  icy  cold.  It  touched  me,  her  pride  in 
this  place  and  her  ancestors  and  her  brother  —  and  I 
stood  between  her  wishes  and  their  accomplishment. 
The  thought  brought  intense  pain. 

Presently  the  rosy  outdoor  party  of  four  burst  into 
the  room  —  we  were  in  the  saloon  —  the  boys  glowing 
with  health  and  vigorous  life,  and  Hugh  looking  almost 
one  of  them,  so  strong  and  splendid  is  he.  And  little 
Lady  Adela,  charming  tomboy  that  she  is,  with  cherry 
lips  and  flaming  cheeks,  seated  herself  upon  a  low  stool 
and  put  her  head  against  my  knee. 

"  Did  you  ever  see  such  a  contrast  as  Mrs.  Bohun  is 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

to  Adela  ?  "  Lord  Burbridge  said.  "  You  look  so  aw- 
fully pale,"  he  went  on,  turning  to  me.  "  I  do  wish 
you  had  been  out  with  us  on  Jenny  Wren  in  this  jolly 
wind." 

Hugh's  eyes  were  fixed  upon  me  with  troubled,  ques- 
tioning anxiety,  and  I  dared  not  meet  his  glance. 

I  made  myself  talk  at  tea,  when  the  children  left  us, 
and  Lady  Morvaine,  on  the  plea  of  writing  letters,  soon 
quitted  the  room. 

"  What  is  it,  darling?  "  Hugh  asked  anxiously,  when 
we  were  alone.  "  Your  little  face  is  a  white  rose  again, 
as  it  used  to  be." 

"  Nothing,"  I  said,  "  Hugh,"  and  I  tried  to  laugh 
and  be  ordinary ;  but  he  was  not  to  be  deceived. 

"  Come  and  sit  in  my  room,"  he  commanded.  "  I  am 
miserable  enough  on  this  our  last  day." 

So  we  went  through  the  morning-room  and  the  ante- 
chamber and  came  to  his  sitting-room. 

"  Now  tell  me  all  about  it  —  every  single  thing, 
Guinevere,"  he  ordered  fondly,  pushing  me  into  a  big 
chair  and  kneeling  down  beside  me.  "  Something  has 
happened  to  trouble  my  sweetheart,  and  she  has  to  be 
comforted  and  petted,  and  made  to  confess." 

But  I  could  not  tell  him,  and  tried  to  divert  his 
thoughts,  but  without  success ;  and  at  last  he  grew  hor-' 
ribly  worried  and  impatient. 

"  It  is  something  Adelaide  has  said  to  you,  I  am 
certain  of  it.  Guinevere,  darling,  for  God's  sake  do  not 
keep  me  thus  in  suspense." 

"  Hugh,  I  tell  you,  it  is  only  your  imagination,"  I 
protested.  "I  am  just  the  same;  we  spoke  of  your 
northern  property,  and  how  the  smoke  was  coming  too 
near  from  the  town  —  and,  oh !  heaps  of  everyday 
things." 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

"  And  Adelaide  said  it  was  a  frightful  pity  I  did  not 
marry.  Now  I  know  what  it  is !  "  and  he  laughed 
shortly.  "  I  wish  to  goodness  my  family  would  leave 
me  alone.  I  am  my  own  master,  surely,  and  can  do 
what  I  please.  Guinevere,  confess  immediately  —  that 
is  what  upset  you,  and  made  this  darling  little  face  so 
white.  Well,  I  shall  kiss  it  as  a  punishment  until  it 
looks  like  Adela's.  Darling,  sweet  goosie!  Do  you 
think  such  ideas  ever  enter  my  head?  " 

"  No,  Hugh,"  I  told  him,  "  I  am  sure  they  do  not ; 
but  that  does  not  prevent  the  facts  from  hitting  one  — 
and  I  love  you  so,  I  cannot  help  thinking  of  all  aspects 
that  might  be  for  your  good." 

His  face,  from  expressing  fondest  love,  grew  stern. 

"  No  woman  shall  judge  for  me,"  he  said.  "  I  will 
decide  these  things  of  what  is  best  for  me,  myself.  You 
belong  to  me  and  I  belong  to  you,  and  the  bond  shall 
never  be  broken  by  me  —  you  had  better  realize  that." 

Tears  sprang  to  my  eyes  at  the  harshness  of  his  voice, 
though  the  words  comforted  me ;  and  when  he  saw  this, 
he  bent  forward  and  clasped  me  in  his  arms  and  rained 
caresses  upon  me  and  tender  words  of  love.  So  that  at 
last  I  was  comforted  and  peace  was  restored. 

I  must  banish  these  thoughts,  as  I  have  banished  the 
one  of  Humphrey's  return.  But  as  I  went  up  to  dress 
it  seemed  the  same  voices  as  at  Redwood  Moat  whis- 
pered to  me  on  the  stairs : 

"  Live,  poor  fool,  while  you  can  —  the  prison  walls 
will  close  again,"  and  I  shivered  with  cold. 

When  I  entered  the  bright  chintz-flowered  room  I 
shook  myself  and  realized  it  was  all  imagination,  and  I 
did  not  permit  any  shadows  to  spoil  the  perfect  union 
and  happiness  of  this  our  last  evening  at  Minton  Dre- 
mont. 


CHAPTER  XX 

HADY  MORVAINE  also  left  Minton  Dremont 
to-day  —  at   the   same  time   that  we   did  — 
and  she  has  asked  Algernon  to  go  and  spend 
the   rest   of  his   holidays   with   them  up   in 
Cheshire  when  our  races  here  will  be  over,  at  the  end 
of  the  week.    I  am  so  glad  of  this,  as  it  will  be  such  a 
great  pleasure  to  him.     I  had  been  wondering  what  I 
ought  to  do  with  him.    Letitia  had  asked  us  to  go  and 
stay  with  her,  but  Algernon  did  not  look  forward  to 
that.     Now  I  can  go  alone,  knowing  he  will  be  only 
about  twenty  miles  off,  in  safe  and  agreeable  company. 
I  have  had  two  brief  letters  from  Humphrey,  filled  with 
himself  and  his  doings.    I  have  written  to  him  dutifully 
every  fortnight.    It  is  a  good  thing  the  moat  has  been 
cleared   out,  he  said  in  his  last  epistle,   and  it  was 
"  deuced  kind  "  of  Hugh  Dremont  to  put  up  Letitia 
and  me.    He  supposed  he  had  had  a  party  for  us.    Le- 
titia had  written  to  him,  telling  him  her  view  of  the 
whole  thing,  and  with  her  inimitable  tact  and  knowledge 
of  manipulating  affairs,  she  had  made  him  accept  every- 
thing without  being  irritated,  as  I  feared  he  would  be. 
I  had  not  said  one  word  to  deceive  him,  and  yet,  as  I 
read  his  letter  just  now,  a  sense  of  discomfort  came 
upon  me.    I  absolutely  loathe  having  to  dissimulate  in 
any  way.     This  is  something  else  I  must  banish  from 
my  thoughts,  though.    Ah !  me. 

My  party  arrived  this  afternoon,  and  I  have  told 
dear  old  S?r  John  Kaird  he  must  take  Humphrey's 
place  and  act  host  for  me  with  Algernon. 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

Letitia  is  in  high  spirits.  She  did  not  motor,  for  a 
wonder,  but  came  down  in  the  train  with  a  number  of 
the  guests  going  on  to  Minton  Dremont,  and  she  is  full 
of  their  ways  and  doings. 

"  Winnie  "  is  still  determined  to  secure  Hugh,  and 
one  or  two  of  the  others  have  also  put  forward  claims 
for  the  post  of  favorite.  A  shuffling  season  has  taken 
place,  it  would  seem,  since  last  year,  and  several  of 
them  are  on  the  lookout  for  new  partners  to  amuse 
themselves  with!  Letitia  caught  sight  of  my  face  as 
she  recounted  to  me  all  this  in  her  room  before  dressing 
for  dinner,  and  she  went  into  a  fit  of  laughter. 

"  Yes,  it  is  comic,  isn't  it,  Guinevere?  "  she  said.  "  I 
never  had  really  looked  at  us  all  from  a  detached  point 
of  view  until  I  was  awakened  by  your  and  Hugh's  af- 
fections for  each  other.  Now  it  all  seems  frightfully 
funny.  I  wonder  if  they  will  appear  different  to  Hugh, 
also.  It  will  be  so  amusing  to  watch.  His  temperament 
is  too  impatient  of  control  to  stand  anything  he  does 
not  like." 

"  Yes,"  I  responded.  "  I  do  not  feel  very  disturbed 
about  them." 

Letitia  laughed  again  softly. 

"  No,  you  need  not  be.  I  believe,  in  reality,  you  are 
cleverer  than  any  of  them,  in  spite  of  your  simplicity 
—  and  you  have  got  quite  good-looking,  you  know, 
lately ;  full  of  life,  and  so  much  less  pale.  Langthorpe 
was  only  saying  so  just  now;  and  if  he  notices  the 
change,  it  must  be  striking !  "  Then  — 

"  Is  not  it  a  joy,"  she  called,  as  I  was  leaving  the 
room,  "  to  feel  we  need  not  mind  a  bit,  even  if  we  are 
five  minutes  late  for  dinner !  " 

How  I  should  hate  to  know  that  every  one  was  re- 
joicing at  my  absence,  as  they  are  because  Humphrey 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

is  away  —  even  Hartington  is  vastly  relieved,  and  has 
conducted  the  arrangements  for  this  little  party  in  the 
most  admirable  manner. 

I  felt  quite  gay  at  dinner.  I  had  some  kind  of  satis- 
faction in  my  new-found  sense  of  dignity  and  impor- 
tance —  with  the  knowledge  that  no  one  would  snub 
me,  or  frown  at  me.  I  only  wished  Hugh  were  here  to 
see  me  in  my  new  guise  of  a  freewoman. 

The  four  guests  besides  Letitia,  Langthorpe,  and 
Sir  John  are  quite  nice,  harmless  people:  one  couple 
Bohun  cousins,  and  the  other,  old  f riennds ;  and  no  one 
would  have  recognized  Redwood  Moat  to-night,  with 
its  light-hearted  atmosphere.  Algernon  has  enjoyed 
himself  immensely,  he  told  me  —  as  he  kissed  me  good 
night. 


The  week  has  gone  by,  and  it  has  developed  yet  an- 
other fresh  stage  between  Hugh  and  me.  When  we 
met  at  the  races,  I  could  see  he  was  ruffled  about  some- 
thing —  there  was  a  steely  light  in  his  blue  eyes. 

It  was  impossible  to  have  any  private  conversation 
with  him,  and  although  he  seemed  to  be  doing  his  duty 
in  the  same  way  as  he  did  it  last  year,  it  was  unwill- 
ingly. The  day  was  cold,  too,  with  a  hateful  wind,  and 
no  one  appeared  to  be  enjoying  it  except  my  son. 
Races  to  him  are  unalloyed  happiness  in  any  weather. 

Our  whole  party  was  to  dine  at  Minton  Dremont  in 
the  evening,  and  just  before  we  began  to  dress  for  it, 
Letitia  came  to  my  turret  room. 

"  How  cross  Hugh  looks !  doesn't  he?  "  she  remarked, 
as  she  pushed  the  logs  together.  "  I  gathered  from 
Ermyntrude  that  they  had  all  chaffed  him  after  dinner 
last  night  because,  I  suppose,  he  let  out  some  sentiment 

217 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

that  we  have  heard  him  exploit  lately,  Guinevere,  but 
which  none  of  them  have  ever  known  to  proceed  from 
him  —  and  he  grew  nettled,  and  answered  them  sharply, 
and  Ada  made  one  of  her  exquisitely  cynical  remarks. 
How  frightfully  mad  they  would  all  be  if  they  knew  it 
is  your  influence  which  has  caused  him  to  measure  them 
with  a  new  measure !  " 

It  is  such  a  strange  feeling  to  meet  one  who  is  nearer 
and  dearer  than  any  other  on  earth  in  company,  where 
the  most  casual  aloof  behavior  is  required!  It  gives  a 
sense  of  absolute  unreality.  I  could  not  get  over  the 
feeling  that  I  was  acting  in  a  dream,  and  should  wake 
and  find  myself  alone  with  Hugh,  in  perfect  intimacy, 
in  his  sitting-room.  I  could  see  he  found  it  almost  im- 
possible to  keep  up  his  role. 

We  did  not  dance  after  dinner,  but  just  sat  about  in 
the  saloon,  so  there  was  no  chance  to  talk  beyond  a  few 
words. 

"  This  is  simply  sickening !  I  shall  come  over  in  the 
morning  and  ask  for  Letitia,"  Hugh  announced,  as  he 
passed  me  once. 

Then  he  had  to  go  and  talk  to  some  one  else  before  I 
could  answer. 

I  was  almost  glad  when  we  left  —  the  strain  was 
growing  too  great. 

Next  morning,  soon  after  ten,  Caesar  and  his  master 
pranced  into  the  courtyard.  We  had  all  only  just  fin- 
ished breakfast,  and  were  about  in  the  hall.  Letitia 
had  not  yet  appeared. 

Hartington  came  forward  and  whispered  that  Sir 
Hugh  Dremont  was  outside,  and  had  not  dismounted, 
but  was  asking  how  soon  he  could  see  Lady  Lang- 
thorpe,  so  I  sent  a  message  to  tell  him  to  come  in  and 
wait  until  she  came  down.  Which  he  knew  very  well 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

would  not  be  for  another  hour.  I  told  Hartington  to 
show  him  into  the  drawing-room,  and  then  soon  I  got 
rid  of  my  guests  and  joined  him. 

He  was  like  a  horse  champing  his  bit  with  impatience, 
and  his  eyes  were  full  of  passionate  love. 

"  I've  simply  bolted,  darling.  Got  off  before  any  of 
them  were  down.  I  could  not  bear  it  another  second," 
he  said.  "  They  are  boring  me  to  death.  I  seem  to 
know  beforehand  exactly  what  they  are  all  going  to 
say,  and  when  Ada  will  be  brilliant,  and  Winnie  caress- 
ing, and  Ermyntrude  vague.  They  all  seem  perfectly 
artificial,  and  yet  I  suppose  they  are  exactly  as  they 
were  before.  It  is  I  myself  who  have  altered.  Guine-' 
vere  —  tell  me :  you  could  not  stand  another  day  like 
yesterday,  either,  darling?  "  and  he  stroked  my  hand 
fondly.  "  It  was  ten  times  worse  than  London.  There 
we  always  used  to  have  at  least  some  hours  together  in 
the  twenty-four,  but  at  the  races  and  dinner  it  was  one 
long  chafe  —  with  no  prospect  of  relief." 

"  Hugh,  we  must  control  ourselves,"  I  told  him. 
"  Think !  —  if  we  fret  at  one  day  like  this,  how  are  we 
ever  going  to  get  through  the  weeks  which  are  com- 
ing?" 

"  As  soon  as  this  infernal  party  goes,"  he  informed 
me,  "  I  intend  to  motor  up  to  Cheshire  to  stay  with 
Langthorpe  and  Letitia,  and  I  understand  my  Guine- 
vere is  going  there,  too  —  and  when  she  leaves  — " 

"  She  will  have  to  come  back  here.  It  will  be  May 
then,  and  there  will  be  no  excuse  to  stay  away." 

"  Very  well.  I  shall  return  also  to  Minton  Dremont, 
and  I  will  have  William  down,  whom  I  can  really  trust ; 
and  you  can  come  for  canters  in  Corlston  Chase,  and 
into  the  park,  and  William  can  keep  Jenny  Wren  in 
the  copse  nearest  to  my  yew  hedge  garden;  and  often 
15  219 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

we  could  spend  a  happy  afternoon  together  in  my 
sitting-room  without  a  soul's  knowing.  There  are  all 
sorts  of  beautiful  corners  in  the  park,  too,  which  I 
have  not  shown  you  yet,  darling.  May  at  least  shall 
be  for  our  happiness  —  leave  it  to  me." 

The  idea  of  this  comforted  us,  I  think,  a  little,  and 
enabled  us  both  to  get  through  our  duties.  The  Min- 
ton  Dremont  party  dined  here  at  Redwood  that  night, 
and  I  got  some  pleasure  out  of  showing  Hugh  how  well 
I  can  play  hostess  when  not  suppressed  and  ignored  by 
my  husband. 

But  the  light  in  his  dear  blue  eyes  was  still  full  of 
unrest  and  passion,  and  Letitia  said  to  me,  when  they 
had  all  gone,  that  it  would  be  perfectly  impossible  to 
keep  his  affection  for  me  hidden  much  longer,  if  he 
was  unable  to  hide  his  feelings  more  effectually. 

"  It  is  always  the  same,"  she  exclaimed.  "  No  mat- 
ter how  watchful  the  deus  ex  machlna  is,  one  of  the 
actors  always  gives  the  thing  away.  Now,  for  Heaven's 
sake,  Guinevere,  be  like  ice  to-morrow  night  at  the  Hunt 
ball!" 

I  tried  to  be,  with  the  result  that  Hugh  was  angry 
and  reproachful  when  we  did  sit  out  a  dance  together. 
He  would  not  listen  to  reason,  and,  I  saw,  was  jealous 
of  even  dear  old  Sir  John. 

These  are  phases  which  love  has  to  go  through,  I 
suppose,  when  it  is  as  great  as  ours,  and  separation 
makes  life  a  torment. 

I  am  sitting  alone  in  the  gray  dawn  in  the  turret 
chamber  now,  and  I  cannot  keep  my  thoughts  from 
rushing  ahead.  In  seven  weeks  Humphrey  will  have 
returned  —  when  all  meetings  will  be  impossible.  Alas ! 
and  alas !  what  will  happen  then  ? 

Oh !  Spring,  with  your  passionate  youth,  your  rising 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

sap,  your  message  of  fulfilment  to  the  earth,  take  pity 
on  two  poor  lovers,  who  may  only  sip  at  the  cup  of  joy. 


It  is  the  first  of  May,  and  the  visit  to  Letitia  at  her 
Cheshire  home  has  been  all  happiness.  Very  nearly  as 
perfect  as  our  first  days  at  Minton  Dremont.  And 
Hugh,  freed  from  chafing  at  barriers,  has  resumed  his 
dear  tenderness  and  comradeship  with  me.  Langthorpe 
and  Letitia  do  not  bother  us  in  the  least,  and  we  ride 
and  walk  and  motor  about  undisturbed.  Sometimes  we 
go  over  to  see  Algernon  at  Lady  Morvaine's,  and  Hugh 
has  stayed  there  for  a  couple  of  nights,  to  make  every- 
thing look  natural ;  and  to-morrow  Algernon  and  Bur- 
bridge  go  back  to  Eton,  and  Hugh  and  I  return  to  our 
respective  homes. 

But  underneath  in  me  there  is  growing  a  strange 
excitement,  as  though  voices  were  saying  always  the 
same  thing :  "  Live,  live,  poor  fool,  while  you  may." 
I  cannot  with  all  my  will  sometimes  annihilate  the  re- 
membrance that  the  days  are  flying,  and  soon  there 
must  come  the  end,  when  the  prison  door  will  close 
again. 

Hugh  has  arranged  everything  for  our  meetings  when 
we  go  back  —  he  to  Minton  Dremont,  and  I  to  Red- 
wood —  and  we  have  all  the  lovely  month  of  May  before 
us.  I  will  try  not  to  look  ahead. 


The  hours  fly  —  either  in  unutterable  happiness  with 
my  Beloved  under  the  greenwood  tree,  or  creeping  up 
the  yew-surrounded  garden  through  the  private  door 
to  his  sitting-room;  or  they  lag,  and  burn  and  pass 
in  feverish  impatience,  waiting  here  at  Redwood  Moat 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

until  the  morrow  comes  and  again  we  can  be  together. 
It  all  has  to  be  done  with  such  caution  and  skill.  But 
I  think  fate  has  been  kind  to  us,  and  only  old  William 
has  any  idea  of  the  hours  his  master  and  I  spend  alone 
in  each  other's  company. 

Twice,  upon  one  plea  and  another,  Hugh  has  been 
able  to  come  and  call  upon  me  openly,  and  I  have 
played  to  him  in  the  drawing-room,  and  we  are  growing 
more  intimate  in  soul  every  day.  It  seems  that  we 
neither  of  us  really  live  when  apart.  Passion  and  ten- 
derness and  all  shades  of  emotion  seem  to  be  augment- 
ing. Hugh  has  strange  turns  in  his  character.  I  get 
glimpses  of  them,  and  I  know  they  are  the  aspects 
which  people  like  Mrs.  Dalison  were  able  to  appeal  to. 
Now  that  the  unrest  caused  by  the  restrictions  of 
others'  presence  has  been  removed,  he  is  always  happ}r, 
though,  and  sometimes  so  gay,  like  a  boy,  and  some- 
times, again,  amusing  and  cynical.  We  cannot  have 
many  books  out  in  the  May  sunshine,  but  we  talk  and 
never  seem  to  tire  of  each  other's  conversation. 

"  You  see,  you  have  the  delightful  stored  reflections 
of  long  years  of  silence  and  loneliness  to  impart  to  me, 
precious  child,"  Hugh  said  yesterday,  as  we  sat  on  the 
bench  old  William  has  constructed  for  us  in  the  copse. 
"  And  all  the  wisdom  and  trained  critical  faculties 
which  you  show  me  are  a  constant  surprise  and  joy. 
Fancy  what  it  would  have  been  like  if  we  had  grown  up 
together  and  learned  all  these  things  hand-in-hand !  " 

"  It  could  not  have  been  more  perfect  than  it  is, 
Hugh,"  I  assured  him.  "I  do  not  think  there  can  be 
two  people  on  earth  who  are  so  absolutely  one  in 
everything,  of  thought,  point  of  view  and  desire,  as  we 
are  —  do  you?  " 

"  No;  we  never  have  a  single  jar;  and  if  we  were  to 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

live  together  for  a  hundred  years  it  would  always  be 
the  same.  That  is  the  agony  of  it  —  that  soon  — " 
And  then  he  stopped  abruptly,  and  covered  his  eyes 
with  his  hand. 

I  did  not  tell  him  that  he  must  not  look  ahead,  or 
anything  like  that ;  the  time  is  getting  too  near  to  Hum- 
phrey's return  for  us  to  be  able  to  prevent  his  shadow 
from  falling  upon  us  at  moments.  But  Hugh  always 
speaks  as  if  our  blissful  union  were  going  on  forever  — 
he  will  talk  of  things  of  years  to  come,  and  say  how 
we  shall  plant  this  shrub  here  or  there  in  the  garden, 
which,  when  it  has  grown,  will  make  such  and  such  an 
effect  to  please  me.  He  consults  me  about  everything, 
and  talks  of  all  his  belongings  as  ours,  in  a  way  that 
Humphrey  has  never  done.  I  do  not  think,  if  we  were 
really  married,  he  could  be  any  different. 

One  of  his  greatest  pleasures  is  to  lie  with  his  dear 
head  in  my  lap  and  to  get  me  to  stroke  and  caress  his 
hair.  And  he  always  tells  me  stories  of  his  mother  then. 
She  died  only  about  eleven  years  ago,  and  he  loved  her 
dearly.  He  is  not  going  to  have  any  Whitsuntide 
party  this  summer,  because  Whitsunday  falls  upon  the 
third  of  June,  and  my  birthday  is  on  the  fourth,  and 
we  are  going  to  spend  it  at  Eton  with  Algernon.  Le- 
titia  starts  for  Paris  on  the  Saturday,  and  I  am  to  go 
up  to  Norfolk  Street  on  the  Wednesday  and  stay  on 
alone  after  she  leaves,  so  as  to  meet  Humphrey.  I  have 
given  Parton  a  holiday  for  that  week,  and  Hugh  and  I 
shall,  no  doubt,  spend  perfectly  happy  hours  together, 
for  the  whole  of  that  interested  set  of  his  friends  will 
be  away. 

On  the  days  when  it  has  rained  and  I  have  not  been 
able  to  make  any  excuse  to  go  out,  I  have  sat  up  here 
in  my  turret  chamber  and  dreamed.  And  if  it  were  not 

223 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

for  the  shortness  of  our  time  still  to  be  together,  I 
could  be  quite  happy  —  but  anything  that  keeps  us 
apart  now  causes  us  both  anguish. 

Humphrey  arrives  at  Southampton  on  Tuesday  the 
fifth  of  June,  and  will  be  in  London  at  four  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon.  Algernon  and  I  are  to  meet  him  at  the 
station.  And  for  a  week  after  Hugh  is  going  off  to 
Letitia  in  Paris. 

To-morrow  is  our  last  day  here.  Oh!  how  I  pray 
that  it  may  keep  fine !  I  am  going  up  to  Minton  Dre- 
mont  openly  in  the  morning  "  to  see  the  gardens." 
Hugh  rode  down  and  asked  me  yesterday  before  Har- 
tington.  And  then  I  am  to  stay  to  lunch  with  the  par- 
son and  his  wife;  and  when  they  go  I  am  to  pretend  I 
am  walking  back  across  the  park,  but  in  reality  I  ex- 
pect we  shall  spend  most  of  the  time  in  my  Beloved's 
sitting-room.  Oh !  I  cannot  bear  to  think  that  the  end 
has  nearly  come. 


There  is  a  thunderstorm  rolling  up.  How  I  hate  it ! 
— And  those  voices  that  once  before  seemed  to  whisper 
are  near  me  to-night.  I  am  sure  this  place  is  haunted, 
and  that  in  certain  states  of  the  atmosphere  those  poor, 
unquiet  spirits  can  make  themselves  felt  and  heard. 

Oh!  what  are  the  days  going  to  be  like  that  hold  no 
chance  of  comfort?  When  Humphrey's  rasping  voice 
giving  me  orders  and  recounting  to  me  his  success  and 
adventures  is  all  that  I  shall  hear!  Petrov,  come  and 
nestle  up  to  the  neck  of  your  poor  mistress  and  warm 
her.  For,  even  though  the  air  is  stifling,  she  is  shiver- 
ing with  cold. 


CHAPTER  XXI 

PERFECTLY  golden  sun  dawned  for  our  last 
day  together  at  Minton  Dremont.  When  I 
looked  out  of  the  east  window  and  saw  the 
glorious  rays  above  Hugh's  flag,  my  spirit 
expanded  with  gladness.  It  seemed  to  me  an  omen  of 
happiness  after  the  storm  in  the  night,  an  omen  that 
meant  that  some  day  the  sun  would  rise  permanently 
upon  our  lives  and  melt  the  remembrance  of  thunder 
and  lightning  and  weeping  rain. 

Hugh  was  waiting  for  me  at  the  gate  which  leads  to 
the  gardens  from  the  avenue,  and  I  got  out  of  the 
brougham  and  went  with  him  there.  All  the  planting 
we  arranged  in  February  seems  to  be  doing  well,  and  it 
was  a  joy  to  walk  with  my  Beloved  and  examine  them 
all.  He  took  extra  pains,  it  would  seem,  not  by  the 
faintest  word  to  suggest  that  this  was  our  last  day; 
we  might  have  been  a  pair  of  married  lovers  returning 
to  our  home,  eager  to  see  how  things  had  grown  in  our 
absence.  Every  minute  incident  and  aspect  of  things 
is  indelibly  graven  upon  my  memory.  I  can  shut  my 
eyes  now  and  see  the  tones  in  the  sky,  the  fresh 
exquisite  green  of  the  trees  —  the  flowers  and  the  great 
lilac  bushes ;  I  can  feel  the  warmth  of  the  sun  and  hear 
the  happy  birds  chirping  their  love-songs. 

"  Heart  of  me,"  Hugh  said.  "  You  have  gilded  and 
sanctified  my  garden  and  my  house,  and  nothing  shall 
ever  be  altered  in  it  except  as  you  may  wish.  It  is  now 
our  garden,  Guinevere." 

225 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

An  infinite  tenderness  was  between  us,  and  we  were 
silent  as  we  went  through  the  wrought-iron  gate  into 
the  yew-surrounded  lawn.  Here  we  sat  down  upon  the 
marble  bench  in  the  arbor  which  looks  out  over  the 
park. 

Then  Hugh  went  back  to  the  house  and  brought  out 
some  of  our  pet  books,  and  among  them  the  "  Sonnets 
of  Proteus  " —  he  had  not  read  any  of  them  before  to 
me.  and  he  found  some  which  pleased  us  both,  but  he 
would  not  read  those  which  were  cynical  and  showed 
how  the  love  of  the  two  passed  away. 

"  They  had  not  found  the  secret,  Guinevere,"  he 
said,  "  and  they  were  not  really  together  a  whole  soul, 
as  we  are.  Fate  might  part  our  bodies  for  a  time,  but 
nothing  can  ever  sever  our  souls,  sweetheart,  in  this 
world  or  the  next." 

The  morning  passed  away  thus  in  perfect  happiness, 
and  then  we  went  in  to  lunch  with  the  old  parson  and 
his  wife.  Of  the  afternoon  I  cannot  write,  it  is  too 
sacred  in  its  deep  meaning  to  us  both ;  and  as  the  even- 
ing shadows  began  to  fall  Hugh  walked  with  me  back 
through  the  park.  There  seemed  an  exaltation  in  us 
that  was  not  of  earth,  we  spoke  hardly  at  all,  he  came 
with  me  into  the  courtyard  at  Redwood  Moat,  and  into 
the  garden,  and  then  through  the  turret  door  and  up 
to  my  shrine,  and  there  we  said  a  last  good-bye,  both 
our  eyes  swimming  with  tears ;  we  were  beyond  the  act- 
ing that  all  was  as  it  would  ever  be.  The  pitiful  truth 
had  forced  itself  into  prominence.  To-day  had  been 
the  last  day  of  perfect  gladness  and  freedom  we  could 
hope  for  at  Minton  Dremont,  and  ahead  of  us,  after 
the  few  days  in  London,  yawned  an  abyss  of  difficulty 
Humphrey  standing  guard. 

"  God  keep  you,  my  soul,"  Hugh  whispered  in  an- 
226 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

guish,  and,  turning,  went  toward  the  door ;  but  we  could 
not  bear  it,  and  rushed  once  more  into  each  other's 
arms. 


Ah  me !  these  days  in  London  have  been  good  —  more 
passionate  as  they  always  are  than  those  at  Minton 
Dremont,  but  tender  and  sweet  as  well.  We  have  spent 
long  hours  in  Kensington  Gardens,  and  we  have  revis- 
ited our  original  picnic's  haunt  in  Richmond  Park,  and 
laughed  together  at  the  memory  of  that  first  day,  and 
my  fears.  I  have  no  fear  now  ever  when  I  am  with  my 
Beloved,  his  care  of  me  never  slackens  or  sleeps. 

And  to-morrow  we  motor  down  to  Eton  to  spend  my 
birthday  there  and  see  all  the  festivities  of  the  Fourth 
of  June. 

Letitia  left  for  Paris  yesterday  with  last  counsels  to 
me  about  Humphrey. 

"  Remember,  Guinevere,"  she  said.  "  You  must  curb 
that  foolishness  in  you  which  may  make  you  feel  a  dis- 
comfort with  him.  You  have  done  nothing  that  you 
yourself  think  wrong  under  the  circumstances.  If  you 
feel  anything,  it  will  be  only  the  current  of  convention 
still  affecting  you,  and  which  you  had  better  get  rid 
of;  recollect  that  we  thrashed  out  the  point  of  right 
and  wrong  in  the  beginning,  and  you  came  to  your  con- 
clusions—  now  have  the  courage  to  remain  firm  in 
them." 

"  Yes,"  I  returned,  "  I  realize  all  that.  I  have  not 
the  slightest  regret  or  sense  of  anything  but  glory  and 
joy  in  having  Hugh  for  my  lover;  there  is  only  the 
feeling  that  I  loathe  all  pretence,  I  cannot  say  that  I 
will  not  have  odious  moments  if  I  have  to  dissimulate." 

'*  Well,  try  not  to  be  too  serious,"  my  sister  pleaded, 
227 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

"  you  have  another  point  to  console  yourself  with. 
Humphrey  does  not  trust  you  blindly,  or  rely  upon 
your  honor ;  he  does  not  trust  you  at  all,  in  fact  —  he 
could  not  trust  any  one,  that  is  why  he  is  always  being 
deceived  and  tricked  by  the  servants  and  Algernon  and 
every  one  he  has  to  do  with;  he  draws  that  upon  him- 
self by  his  attitude.  He  left  you  alone  —  not  because 
he  trusted  you,  but  because  he  thinks  you  are  such  a 
poor  creature  you  would  get  no  chance  of  amusing 
yourself.  He  suspects  every  one  all  the  time  of  the 
lowest  intentions.  It  is  only  by  that  extraordinary 
blindness  which  seems  to  descend  upon  all  jealous  hus- 
bands when  there  is  really  cause  for  their  fears,  that 
he  has  not  suspected  Hugh." 

"  I  will  try  to  be  sensible,"  I  promised. 

"  Try  also  to  be  less  timid  and  quiet ;  talk  to  him  at 
meals,  and  be  bright  and  gay  as  you  are  now  with  us 
all.  It  will  make  things  easier  for  you.  To  see  you 
together,  it  is  as  if  it  were  a  terrified  child  with  a  cross 
uncle." 

Then  she  laughed  and  kissed  me ;  but  at  the  last  mo- 
ment when  she  was  leaving,  she  came  back  and  whis- 
pered to  me  while  she  looked  straight  into  my  eyes : 

"  Guinevere,  tell  me,  dearest,  have  I  made  up  to  you 
for  having  helped  to  build  your  prison-house?  Last 
year  when  I  first  stayed  at  Redwood  and  it  struck  me 
for  the  first  time  that  I  had  done  that,  I  felt  perfectly 
sick,  and  I  determined  then  to  help  you  to  live  and  be 
happy  if  I  could." 

And,  though  I  am  naturally  undemonstrative,  I 
threw  my  arms  round  Letitia's  neck  and  hugged  her. 
For,  indeed,  she  has  wiped  out  all  old  debts. 

We  spent  Whitsunday  in  London  —  my  lover  and  I 
—  and  it  rained ;  but  Hugh  had  arranged  everything  so 

228 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

that  we  could  be  together  for  the  entire  day  in  safety, 
and  the  weather  did  not  matter.  We  were  divinely 
happy;  a  feverish  passionate  joy  fills  every  instant  of 
the  time  —  knowing  its  hideously  short  duration. 

And  now  as  I  look  out  upon  the  starlit  sky  just 
lightening  with  the  approach  of  dawn,  I  realize  that 
indeed  the  very  last  day  has  come,  and  when  it  is  over 
a  new  existence  must  begin. 

Oh,  God !  let  the  great  laws  which  You  made,  and  not 
those  which  man  made,  work  out  in  the  end  for  our 
happiness. 


I  had  never  been  at  Eton  since  I  was  a  child ;  I  came 
once  when  Bob  was  first  there,  and  then  I  was  too 
young  to  feel  the  wonder  and  the  glory  of  it.  But  each 
aspect  of  it  came  upon  my  understanding  to-day  with 
renewed  interest.  To  see  those  quaint  old  buildings 
and  to  feel  their  atmosphere  of  eternal  youth  and  glori- 
ous aims,  the  very  air  saturated  with  young  enthusiasm 
and  generosity,  and  belief  in  the  future.  The  grace  of 
a  chivalry  long  passed  away  from  other  places  still 
clings  to  Eton  —  an  innate  conservatism  —  a  realiza- 
tion of  the  value  of  character,  an  abiding  by  an  unwrit- 
ten law  made  for  the  elevation  of  all  courtly  and 
knightly  things.  Who,  to  see  the  flower  of  young  Eng- 
land on  this  their  school's  festival,  brimming  over  with 
life  and  pride  and  strength,  could  fail  to  experience  a 
deep  emotion?  It  is  the  fashion  in  these  days  to  abuse 
all  authors  who  depict  the  ways  of  the  upper  classes, 
and  call  them  snobs  and  tuft-hunters;  ridicule  is  cast 
on  them  by  the  critics  with  a  bitter  underneath  venom. 
I  wonder  why  this  is,  and  why  those  who  write  of  this 
class  should  arouse  antagonism  more  than  people  like 

229 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

Jacobs  who  write  stories  of  bargemen?  Surely  both 
are  interesting  as  human  studies,  and  it  is  just  accord- 
ing to  one's  taste  which  interests  one  the  most.  It 
always  seems  to  me  that  the  upper  classes  are  more 
agreeable  than  the  middle,  not  in  the  least  because  of 
actual  virtues,  but  because  for  hundreds  of  years  they 
have  had  the  advantage  of  time  to  polish  all  the  graces 
and  refinements  of  life.  Leisure  to  think  and  acquire 
knowledge  of  beauty  and  chivalrous  points  of  view, 
leisure  for  their  bodies  to  be  exercised  into  finer  shapes. 
The  whole  thing  is  the  obvious  result  of  cause  and  ef- 
fect, and  it  seems  so  silly  when  funny,  angry  Radicals 
try  to  deny  all  this  and  thunder  that  all  men  are  the 
same  and  equal,  a  ridiculous  contradiction  to  every 
scientific  investigation;  as  well  say  that  the  carthorse 
is  the  same  as  the  racehorse.  Both  are  good,  but  yet 
are  quite  different.  They  should  go  to  Eton  on  the 
Fourth  of  June  and  see  those  thousand  and  more  of 
England's  youthful  gentlemen  and  get  in  touch  with 
their  points  of  view.  Their  dear,  straight  honesty, 
their  chivalry,  their  sense  of  what  is  and  what  is  not 
"  cricket."  And  this  spirit  I  expect  is  in  all  the  great 
public  schools,  but  I  only  know  Eton  because  of  Bob 
and  Algernon. 

In  after  life  many  of  the  boys  may  fall,  for  each  indi- 
vidual is  not  given  strength  of  purpose,  but  at  least 
they  have  had  a  glorious  chance.  For  me  it  seems  far 
more  wicked  and  awful  when  gentlepeople  do  low  and 
mean  things  than  when  any  other  class  commits  them. 
If  they  have  had  the  good  fortune  to  come  of  a  stoek- 
who  have  for  generations  received  from  God  all  the 
material  advantages,  how  much  greater  then  should  be 
their  obligation  to  deserve  them.  Hugh  once  said  when 
we  were  discussing  this  point  that  when  a  gentleman 

230 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

falls,  he  falls  into  the  gutter  and  not  into  the  middle 
classes.  Because  in  the  higher  grade  they  are  natural 
with  a  polished  naturalness,  at  ease  among  all  things; 
and  in  the  gutter  they  are  natural  with  a  brutal  natur- 
alness which  is  indifferent,  so  they  are  more  akin;  but 
in  the  middle-classes  they  are  full  of  hypocrisies  and 
shams  and  conventions  because  —  another  of  Hugh's 
aphorisms !  — "  the  bourgeois  is  not  sure  of  himself ; 
he  requires  laws,  written  and  unwritten."  I  think  Eton 
affected  me  so,  that  is  why  I  am  putting  down  all  these 
opinions  so  minutely,  like  a  tiresome  student  of  evolu- 
tion. 

Hugh  and  I  left  the  motor  at  the  White  Hart  at 
Windsor  and  walked  down  and  over  the  bridge  to  the 
wall,  where  such  generations  of  darlings  have  sat  and 
kicked  their  legs !  And  thereby  was  an  animated  crowd 
of  parents  and  little  sisters,  with  nice  pale-blue  sashes 
and  such  proud,  happy  faces,  and  big  sisters,  and 
friends,  and  old  Etonians,  all  arriving  and  being  wel- 
comed by  the  boys,  dressed  in  their  best  clothes. 

Algernon  was  among  them,  groomed  to  the  last  stage 
of  perfection!  his  tall  hat  shining  in  the  sun,  pushed 
at  the  back  of  his  head,  and  an  immaculate  umbrella 
and  buttonhole.  I  have  not  this  worry  with  him  which 
some  mothers  have  with  their  sons.  He  is  extremely 
particular  about  his  clothes  and  his  personal  appear- 
ance, and  Humphrey  has  always  encouraged  him  in 
these  points.  I  felt  a  glow  of  satisfaction  when  I  caught 
sight  of  him ;  he  is  certainly  a  most  beautiful  creature, 
with  his  bloomingly  healthy  face,  flashing  gray  eyes, 
and  brown  curly  hair.  Although  only  fourteen,  he  is 
very  tall,  and  next  half  will  go  into  tails.  He  enjoys 
the  proud  position  of  fag  to  "  Silchester,"  who  is  cap- 
tain of  the  Eleven,  and  whom  Algernon  looks  upon  as 

231 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

the  greatest  living  hero  on  earth.  He  —  Algernon  — 
is  no  mean  cricketer  himself,  and  only  last  week  wrote 
to  say  he  had  made  a  score  of  twenty-five  for  the  Lower 
Boy  Eleven  of  his  house  in  "  Sixpenny  " —  the  cricket- 
field  where  the  Lower  Boys  play. 

He  was  extremely  glad  to  see  us,  and  introduced  sev- 
eral of  his  comrades,  and  we  all  went  off  to  hear  Ab- 
sence called  in  School  Yard,  where  Hugh  came  across 
numbers  of  his  old  friends,  who,  like  himself,  had  come 
down  to  see  some  young  member  of  their  families.  Here 
we  met  Lady  Morvaine,  and  Adela  and  Burbridge,  the 
whole  party  to  be  entertained  by  Hugh  later  at  lunch- 
eon at  the  White  Hart. 

"  It's  all  rot,  mother,  going  to  hear  the  speeches," 
Algernon  said.  "  You  can  do  that  another  year.  I 
want  to  show  you  my  room  now,  and  you  would  like  to 
see  the  Chapel  again,  I  expect,  and  the  swishing-block. 
I  only  just  escaped  it  the  week  before  last !  " 

Hugh  and  I  allowed  ourselves  to  be  taken  wherever 
my  son  wished,  and  he  and  Algernon  talked  together 
as  two  chums  of  the  same  age,  Algernon  appealing  to 
Hugh  every  now  and  then  to  help  him  out  in  enlighten- 
ing my  pretended  shocking  ignorance. 

We  enjoyed  ourselves  so!  and  duly  admired  the 
sporting  prints  on  the  wall  of  his  tiny  room,  and  the 
Vanity  Fair  caricature  of  the  Headmaster  pinned  above 
the  mantelpiece.  Then  we  strolled  to  the  Chapel  and 
inspected  that,  and  to  the  Library,  and  Hugh  told  us 
tales  of  his  adventures  and  scrapes  when  he  was  here 
twenty  years  ago. 

"  It's  jolly  different  now,"  Algernon  said;  "  fellows 
don't  get  swished  once  in  a  half,  if  at  all,  thank  good- 
ness." 

As  we  came  out  into  the  yard  again  we  were  joined 
232 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

by  the  rest  of  the  party,  and  all  together  strolled  back 
to  the  White  Hart,  Algernon  pointing  out  all  the 
"  swells  "  we  passed.  He  longs  to  be  a  "  swell "  and 
be  able  to  wear  a  stand-up  collar  and  link  arms  and 
swagger  down  the  street  to  "  Pop  "  !  The  exquisite 
arrogance  of  them !  Hugh  said  when  he  was  a  "  swell  " 
he  felt  himself  of  far  more  importance  than  he  has  ever 
done  at  any  other  period  of  his  life. 

We  passed  "  Silchester,"  who  scrutinized  us  covertly, 
and  all  stopping  to  look  in  at  the  sock-shop,  he  whis- 
pered to  Algernon,  who  then  seemed  bursting  with 
pride,  until  he  had  blurted  out: 

"  I  say,  mum !  Here  is  one  for  you !  Silchester  — 
the  Captain  of  the  Eleven,  you  know  — "  ( as  though  I 
could  for  a  moment  forget  such  a  thing  as  that!)  "  my 
fagmaster  —  has  just  asked  me  who  that  pretty  girl  is 
among  my  people,  and  he  would  not  believe  me  when  I 
said  it  was  my  mother!  You  know  you  do  look  jolly 
decent  to-day,  doesn't  she,  Sir  Hugh?  " 

No  woman  could  desire  greater  incense  to  her  vanity 
than  this ! 

Algernon  always  shows  off  to  advantage  on  public 
occasions.  I  feel  very  proud  of  him,  and  oh!  how  I 
would  love  him  always  if  he  would  let  me.  Hugh  tells 
me  he  hears  through  his  nephew  Burbridge  that  they 
mean  to  "  kick  him  into  shape,"  so  as  time  goes  on  he 
may  grow  near  to  me  in  all  ways. 

What  a  luncheon  we  ate,  of  young  ducks  and  green 
peas  and  strawberries  and  cream!  And  after  it  went 
back  to  Eton  and  to  the  playing  fields  to  watch  the 
cricket  —  Algernon  and  Burbridge  in  frenzied  excite- 
ment not  to  miss  a  stroke  of  the  game.  And  after  a 
little  Hugh  and  I  strolled  away  out  of  the  happy, 
merry  throng,  beyond  the  old  elms  toward  the  river 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

with  its  beautiful  view  crowned  by  Windsor's  noble 
castle  in  the  distance. 

Something  about  the  whole  day  had  stirred  and 
moved  us  both. 

"  What  an  immense  influence  this  place  and  this  lif* 
must  have  on  all  these  boys'  afterlives,"  I  said.  "  It 
hardly  seems  possible  that  with  such  memories  any  of 
them  can  ever  sink  to  anything  low;  it  is  a  glorious 
heritage  for  the  nation,  this  old  Eton,  isn't  it,  Hugh?  " 

"  Yes,  it  does  twine  itself  about  the  heart-strings," 
he  answered.  "  You  never  hear  any  fellow  who  has 
been  here  wishing  he  had  been  at  any  other  school  — 
we  are  all  ready  to  shout  '  Floreat  Etonia ! '  forever," 
and  then  he  was  silent  as  we  turned  and  caught  sight  of 
the  excited,  happy  crowd ;  and  when  he  spoke  his  voice 
was  deep  with  a  wistful  note  in  it. 

"  Guinevere,  what  should  we  be  feeling  like  to-day, 
darling,  if  Algernon  were  my  son  as  well  as  yours?  " 

"  Ah,  Hugh !  "  I  cried,  "  then  we  should  have  nothing 
left  to  wish  for  in  life.  And  if  he  were  your  son,  dear 
lover,  he  would  be  as  beautiful  as  he  is  now,  bodily,  and 
with  a  loving  and  tender  soul  as  well,  and  how  I  would 
adore  him,  and  how  proud  we  should  be !  " 

"  Yes,  I  often  think  of  it,"  sighed  Hugh,  and  he 
looked  away  straight  in  front  of  him,  and  a  mist  gath- 
ered in  his  eyes. 

And  oh !  the  pain  of  another  thought  would  come  to 
me  again.  While  Hugh  remains  my  faithful  lover  he 
can  never  have  a  son  —  a  legitimate  son  —  to  inherit 
his  name  and  his  lands.  He  saw  the  anguish  in  my  face, 
and  instantly  divined  my  thoughts. 

"  Guinevere,  my  precious  darling,"  he  pleaded  pas- 
sionately, "  do  you  think  it  really  matters  to  me  —  not 
one  atom  in  comparison  to  the  joy  of  your  love.  It 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

only  comes  to  me  sometimes,  because  it  is  the  fulfilment 
of  everything  between  two  people  like  you  and  me  who 
are  really  mates.  I  never  dream  of  a  son  in  the  ab- 
stract —  only  of  one  that  should  be  yours  and  mine. 
Sweetheart,  what  could  a  child  mean  to  me  of  any  other 
woman  ?  —  the  idea  is  loathsome." 

"  Oh,  Hugh !  "  I  said  brokenly,  "  this  is  the  price  we 
pay  for  our  love,  because  we  break  the  law  of  man ;  we 
must  suffer  these  anguishes  and  divert  nature  and  turn 
the  fulfilment  of  highest  meaning  aside.  It  is  all  like 
a  scar  that  we  must  not  look  at  —  the  skeleton  in  our 
cupboard  —  the  worm  in  the  bud.  Oh !  how  I  pray 
that  I  can  make  up  to  you  for  it  in  some  measure.  But 
on  days  like  to-day  it  seems  as  though  I  must  cry  aloud 
with  the  pain." 

He  soothed  and  comforted  me  with  gentlest  tender- 
ness, telling  me  over  and  over  again  that  I  was  more 
precious  to  him  than  anything  else  in  the  world ;  and  he 
wanted  nothing  further.  And  by  the  time  we  had  to 
stroll  back  to  join  Algernon  and  go  to  tea  in  his  room, 
an  outward  tranquillity  had  returned  to  me  at  all 
events. 

But  all  through  the  merry  meal  and  our  walk  to  see 
the  procession  of  the  boats  from  the  Brocas  field,  and 
then  our  dinner  at  the  White  Hart  and  during  the  fire- 
works after  it,  a  weight  of  sorrow,  heavy  as  lead,  op- 
pressed my  spirit. 

It  was  not  until  Hugh  and  I  were  quite  alone  that  his 
passionate  devotion  could  make  me  forget  all  else  but 
the  glory  of  his  love.  We  stayed  at  Windsor  so  that  I 
could  take  Algernon  back  to  meet  his  father  in  London 
next  day. 

And  very  early  in  the  morning  my  lover  and  I  said 

our  last  farewell  with  eyes  streaming  with  tears,  and 

16 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

Hugh  motored  off  before  the  world  was  half  awake. 

And  now  I  am  at  Norfolk  Street  again,  and  Algernon 
is  drumming  upon  the  window  pane  —  waiting  until 
Letitia's  electric  brougham  shall  come  round  to  take  us 
to  the  station.  And  in  an  hour's  time  I  shall  have  re- 
ceived the  frosty  kiss  of  my  husband. 

Oh,  God !  I  feel  numb  and  cold  and  dead. 


CHAPTER  XXH 
AUGUST,  1906 

rain,  rain!    It  beats  against  the  narrovr 
windows  in  my  turret  chamber;  a  cold,  late 
August  day  is  dying,  and  soon  I  must  dress 
and  go  down  to  our  grim  dinner  of  just  Hum- 
phrey and  Algernon  and  me. 

How  have  I  passed  these  two  months?  I  hardly 
know.  For  the  first  three  weeks  the  exuberant  satisfac- 
tion and  arrogance  of  Humphrey  from  the  success  of 
his  investigations  and  the  honors  poured  upon  him  in 
consequence,  kept  us  in  London,  being  a  good  deal  en- 
tertained. Hugh  stayed  in  Paris,  and  through  Letitia 
I  heard  of  him.  We  had  agreed  not  to  write.  Letters, 
with  Humphrey  in  the  same  place  as  I  am,  are  too  un- 
safe. Then  we  came  back  to  Redwood  at  the  end  of 
June. 

Although  he  seems  to  have  had  nothing  but  pleasure 
and  incense  to  his  vanity,  this  trip  has  aged  my  hus- 
band —  he  is  growing  into  an  old  man.  And  all  July 
he  had  fever,  on  and  off,  and  was  very  sorry  for  him- 
self and  terribly  irritable.  After  the  first  burst  of 
apparent  gladness  to  be  in  England  again,  he  subsided 
into  one  continued  grumble  at  me,  and  when  Letitia, 
who  came  down  to  spend  a  Saturday  to  Monday  with 
us,  taxed  him  with  it  as  seriously  as  she  could  in  chaff, 
he  said,  that  was  one  of  the  reasons  a  man  married  for 
—  to  have  some  one  to  swear  at. 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

One  awful  moment  passed  in  London,  when  I  was 
dressing  for  the  Court  Ball.  Parton  had  just  slipped 
my  frock  over  my  head,  and  was  fastening  it  up  when, 
without  knocking,  Humphrey  walked  into  the  room. 

He  was  dressed  in  his  gala  uniform,  with  all  his  or- 
ders on,  and  he  looked  a  very  splendid  old  man  —  and 
I  realized  if  he  had  been  an  uncle  or  a  father,  I  should 
have  felt  very  proud  of  him. 

He  had  come,  he  said,  to  see  that  I  was  nearly  ready, 
so  as  not  to  be  a  moment  late;  and  suddenly,  as  he 
watched  the  arranging  of  the  soft  silver  draperies  under 
Parton's  hands,  a  hideous  look  grew  in  his  eyes,  and  I 
stiffened  with  a  sickening  fear. 

And,  as  the  maid  went  to  fetch  my  jewels,  which 
were  laid  out  on  a  table  at  the  other  side  of  the  room, 
he  bent  and  kissed  my  neck  with  brutal  violence,  while 
he  murmured  in  a  thick  voice  of  horrible,  coarse  appre- 
ciation : 

"  You  look  damned  well  to-night,  Guinevere." 

Over  me  crept  all  the  agonizing  terror  and  disgust 
of  the  first  days  of  our  marriage.  So  sick  was  I  with 
horror  that  I  could  have  screamed  aloud.  And  he  saw 
my  face,  and  drew  back  instantly. 

"  Hateful  Iceberg !  "  he  rasped  out.  "  You  would 
freeze  the  devil  himself." 

And  I  nearly  said  aloud  my  thoughts  of,  "  Oh !  for 
that,  thank  God."  These  things  are  beyond  the  power 
of  human  beings  to  control ;  that  utter  revulsion  of  the 
flesh  at  the  touch  of  those  we  do  not  love  cannot  be 
commanded  either  to  come  or  to  go. 

This  hideous  fear  that  my  better  looks  might  again 
awaken  some  spark  of  emotion  in  my  husband  has 
haunted  me  so  that  now  I  think  I  am  as  pale  and  quiet 
as  ever.  The  hopeless  days  go  on  —  and  soon  my  Be- 

238 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

loved  will  return  from  Scotland,  and  be  once  more  at 
Minton  Dremont;  and  how  will  it  be  then? 

Oh!  rain,  you  are  in  unison  with  my  thoughts;  but 
I  must  have  courage  and  fight  my  fight  and  do  my  duty 
—  and  that  is  to  dress  now  and  sweep  down  the  stairs 
with  dignity  and  keep  the  artificial  ball  of  conversation 
rolling  at  dinner,  and  avert  any  possible  passage-at- 
arms  between  my  husband  and  my  son.  Algernon  is 
growing  to  hate  his  father,  I  believe,  and  deceives  him 
whenever  he  can.  Now,  in  the  summer,  when  they  have 
not  the  hunting  to  talk  about,  there  are  ructions  be- 
tween them  all  the  day  long. 

The  whole  atmosphere  is  full  of  storm  and  unrest. 
The  grooms  in  the  stable  tremble  at  the  master's  ap- 
proach —  the  footmen  grow  clumsy  with  nervousness, 
and  even  Hartington  shows  signs  of  strain. 

"  0  Lord,  mother,"  Algernon  said  after  lunch  to- 
day, "  isn't  this  jolly  different  to  Easter  and  Minton 
Dremont  ?  "  But  I  could  not  answer  him ;  a  lump  had 
grown  in  my  throat. 

Humphrey  is  beginning  to  remind  me  of  "  Red  Eye  " 
in  that  masterpiece  of  Jack  London's  about  which  I 
have  spoken  before. 

I  dare  say  if  I  loved  him  I  might  even  now  influence 
him  to  gentler  ways ;  but,  like  the  emotions  of  the  flesh, 
emotions  of  the  mind  cannot  be  commanded  either  to 
come  or  to  go ;  and  all  that  I  can  force  myself  to  do  is 
to  be  meek  and  quiet,  and  irritate  him  as  little  as  I  can. 

This  is  the  price  fate  is  making  him  pay  for  stealing" 
my  youth  and  my  freedom  and  crushing  out  their  re- 
sistance to  his  will.  I  realize  all  these  laws  now,  and 
know  that  each  of  our  actions  must  be  paid  for  by 
ourselves,  for  good  or  ill. 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

Hugh  came  yesterday  —  he  rode  into  the  courtyard 
on  Caesar.  I  saw  him  through  the  iron  gates  from  the 
garden.  Oh!  my  Beloved!  A  great  quivering  sigh 
burst  from  me  —  but  it  was  half  pain. 

I  let  him  go  in  and  stay  some  time  with  Humphrey, 
and  then  I  crept  back  up  the  turret  stairs  to  my  room 
and  went  down  from  there  casually  into  the  library, 
where  they  were  sitting  talking  of  the  prospect  of  birds 
for  the  shooting  season.  I  called  out  to  one  of  the 
dogs  as  I  opened  the  door,  that  Hugh  might  know  I 
was  coming,  and  would  have  time  to  control  his  face; 
and  so  we  greeted  one  another  in  the  most  ordinary 
way.  And  there  we  three  sat,  going  through  this  com- 
edy, and  if  the  pain  caused  by  the  longing  and  aching 
for  my  lover's  presence  all  these  weeks  had  not  been 
upon  me,  I  could  have  laughed  a  bitter  laugh. 

Humphrey  was  in  quite  a  good  humor,  and  evidently 
thought  Hugh  shared  his  feeling  of  finding  my  presence 
a  bore. 

He  showed  no  sign  of  leaving  us,  nor  could  I  devise 
any  plan  for  securing  one  word  with  Hugh  alone.  We 
just  sat  and  sat  —  until  Hartington  announced  tea 
was  ready  in  the  hall,  and  we  went  out  there. 

A  grim  suit  of  armor  stands  on  each  side  of  the  great 
fireplace,  and  it  always  seems  that  hollow  eyes  are 
watching  from  the  lowered  visors.  They  give  me  al- 
ways uncanny  creeps.  I  particularly  dislike  the  hall, 
but  Humphrey  has  ordered  tea  to  be  brought  there  for 
this  last  week. 

Oh!  the  pain  and  the  irony  of  it  all!  To  pour  out 
the  tea  and  ask  if  Hugh  took  cream  and  sugar,  and  to 
give  forth  platitudes  with  no  hope  of  a  sentence  alone. 
It  would  be  impossible  to  understand  the  chafe  of  this 
situation  if  one  had  not  been  through  it. 

240 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

I  know  so  well  every  line  of  Hugh's  face  and  every 
expression  of  his  eyes,  and  I  saw  that  he  was  at  explo- 
sion-point with  the  restriction  of  things. 

But  nothing  happened  to  help  us,  and  I  was  obliged 
to  give  an  icy  hand  and  only  let  my  eyes  speak  the 
anguish  I  was  feeling,  with  my  back  turned  toward 
Humphrey,  as  we  said  good-bye,  and  when  they  were 
both  gone  toward  the  courtyard  again  I  rushed  back 
to  my  turret  room  and  gave  way  to  a  passion  of  tears. 

Oh !  God,  how  am  I  to  bear  it  —  day  after  day ! 


Hugh  came  to  dine  this  evening,  invited  by  Hum- 
phrey. It  has  rained  so  constantly  since  he  was  here 
last  week  that  I  have  not  had  the  chance  to  ride  even, 
and  no  prospect  of  seeing  him  has  occurred.  The  un- 
speakable restlessness  of  the  empty  days !  To-night  I 
felt  the  wildest  excitement,  and  Parton  said  as  I  fin- 
ished dressing: 

"  You  look  so  dreadfully  pale,  ma'am  —  would  you 
not  take  a  little  sal  volatile  before  going  down?  Lady 
Langthorpe  told  me  I  was  to  be  very  careful  of  you." 

I  drank  the  nasty  stuff,  and  when  I  went  into  the 
drawing-room  I  saw  by  the  clock  that  I  was  three  min- 
utes late,  and  Hugh  had  arrived.  Hartington  has  or- 
ders never  to  delay  announcing  dinner  for  any  one, 
once  the  master  of  the  house  is  in  the  room;  but  he 
stretches  a  point  for  me,  and  entered  with  me. 

Humphrey,  however,  was  not  deceived,  and  glowered 
as  I  shook  hands  with  Hugh. 

"  What  do  you  keep  us  waiting  for,  I  should  like  to 
know?  "  he  snapped.  "  Upsetting  the  discipline  of  my 
house !  Are  you  ill,  madam  ?  " 

"  No,"  I  answered,  with  what  dignity  I  could.  "  Let 
241 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

us  now  go  down."  And  I  took  Hugh's  arm,  while 
Humphrey  followed  with  Algernon,  too  close  upon  our 
heels  for  us  to  be  able  to  say  one  word;  but  I  felt 
Hugh's  dear  sympathy,  and  all  through  dinner  at  in- 
tervals I  saw  that  his  eyes  sought  my  face  anxiously. 
And  at  last  he  said : 

"  Mrs.  Bohun  does  look  very  pale  to-night,  General, 
doesn't  she?  " 

"  Modern  women  are  impossible  people !  "  Humphrey 
rejoined.  "  They  can't  stand  anything.  If  they  don't 
have  every  little  fancy  gratified,  they  go  white  about 
the  gills.  But  I  am  too  old  to  pander  to  them.  Let 
'em  alone  is  my  principle!  Guinevere  pretends  that 
this  place  does  not  suit  her  —  confounded  nonsense !  " 

I  looked  at  Hugh  imploringly,  for  I  knew  how  this 
speech  would  make  him  feel ;  he  shut  his  lips  tightly  and 
lowered  his  eyes  to  his  plate. 

Algernon  had  a  sardonic  grin  upon  his  countenance. 
Sometimes  it  would  seem  that  he  actually  enjoys  his 
father's  harshness  to  others  in  the  relief  at  its  not  being 
directed  against  himself. 

He  goes  to  bed  very  soon  after  dinner,  so  when  an 
hour  later  Humphrey  and  Hugh  did  join  me  in  the 
drawing-room,  I  was  alone. 

My  husband  likes  to  stay  as  long  as  he  can  in  the 
dining-room,  chatting  with  any  man  who  may  be  here. 

He  settled  down  in  his  chair  at  once,  and  soon  went 
to  sleep  when  I  played  the  piano  as  usual. 

Then,  at  last,  Hugh  came  to  me,  leaning  upon  the 
lid.  We  spoke  in  gentle  whispers,  while  my  fingers 
continued  to  evoke  sounds.  Of  the  hideous  misery  of 
the  last  days,  of  the  longing  to  see  each  other  again  — 
and  all  the  time  there  was  the  uneasy  sense  that  Hum- 
phrey might  at  any  moment  wake  and  be  suspicious, 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

from  the  fact  that  my  lover  should  be  standing  so  near 
to  me. 

The  pain  was  greater  than  the  pleasure  —  and  there 
was  the  gnawing,  aching  desire  just  for  one  kiss  —  one 
touch. 

We  arranged  that  whenever  I  saw  the  slightest 
chance  of  coming  out  and  meeting  Hugh  in  the  park  at 
our  copse,  I  was  to  contrive  to  post  him  a  word  the  day 
before.  He  had  told  William,  still  at  Minton  Dremont, 
to  be  in  readiness  for  any  requirements ;  and  with  this 
poor  consolation  in  front  of  us  we  have  now  to  be  con- 
tent. 

When  an  hour  had  passed  in  tender,  passionate  whis- 
perings, I  made  Hugh  go  back  to  a  seat  beside  the 
fireplace  opposite  Humphrey,  and  then  I  crashed  some 
loud  chords  to  wake  him  up. 

"  What  a  din  you  are  making,  Guinevere,"  my  hus- 
band said  crossly.  "  You  seem  to  have  quite  lost  your 
old  touch."  And  then  he  blew  his  nose  violently,  and 
took  a  pinch  of  snuff  —  a  habit  which  has  been  grow- 
ing on  him  lately  —  and,  rising,  he  linked  his  arm  in 
my  lover's  and  drew  him  toward  the  door. 

"  Let  us  go  and  have  a  drink  and  a  smoke  in  my 
den,  Dremont,"  he  growled.  "  My  lady  wife  looks  tired, 
and  will  be  glad  to  go  to  bed."  So  we  said  a  stiff  good 
night,  and  they  went  off  down  the  great  stairs.  And  I 
was  preparing  to  go  and  creep  up  my  narrow  ones  in 
the  pitch  dark,  when  I  heard  Hugh  rushing  back  —  on 
pretence  of  having  left  his  cigarette-case,  it  appeared. 
He  rapidly  crossed  the  room,  and  for  the  briefest  sec- 
ond clasped  me  in  his  arms,  and  then  left. 

Now  I  am  sitting  here,  and  it  is  past  midnight.  Oh ! 
there  must  be  many  women  in  England  who  are  going 
through  just  the  same  situation  as  I  am  —  how  I  send 


GUINEVERE'S    LOVER 

out  my  sympathy  to  them  all,  and  how,  I  wonder,  does 
the  hurt  of  having  to  dissemble  like  this,  sear  their 
souls  and  scorch  them,  as  it  is  scorching  mine? 

Petrov  —  do  not  blink  at  me  —  your  blue-gray  vel- 
vet face  is  cynical  to-night,  and  your  orange  eyes  are 
mocking.  What  do  you  think  of  things,  my  cat? 


A  month  has  passed,  and  we  have  met  twice  —  by 
stealth,  my  lover  and  I  —  but  oh !  the  bitter-sweet  pain 
of  it  —  the  sickening  dread  of  detection  —  the  heart- 
ache and  the  wrench  at  parting.  We  can  neither  of  us 
be  natural,  even  in  the  short  moments  we  are  together ; 
we  can  only  cling  to  each  other  in  passion  and  fear. 

Humphrey  and  I  have  lunched  at  Minton  Dremont; 
he  would  not  dine,  he  has  a  fit  of  gout  coming  on,  and 
even  the  information  that  he  is  to  be  made  a  K.C.B. 
has  hardly  improved  his  temper. 

It  seemed  horrible  to  be  there  in  Hugh's  house  with 
Humphrey,  every  corner  of  it  filled  as  it  is  with  sweet 
and  tender  memories  of  us  two  alone.  The  sense  of 
unreality  —  and  of  strain  —  was  hateful. 

Hugh  is  miserable  to  see  me  so  pale  and  quiet,  and 
to  know  that  he  can  no  longer  have  the  chance  of 
bringing  life  and  happiness  to  me. 

My  soul  is  warping,  and  I  can  only  feel  alternate 
fits  of  wild  rebellion  and  utter  depression.  I  cannot 
bear  it  much  longer.  Something  must  happen;  it  is 
impossible  to  live  like  this.  Hugh's  dear  face,  too,  is 
haggard  and  full  of  anxiety,  and  he  says  reckless  things 
unlike  his  former  self. 

Algernon  has  gone  back  to  Eton  —  pleased  to  go  — 
even  from  Snack  and  Pip  and  ratting  in  the  old 
barn. 

244 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

"  Ghosts  are  all  tommy-rot,  mother,"  he  said,  on  his 
last  evening,  "  but  there  is  some  beastly  thing  about 
this  house  that  makes  everything  seem  to  go  wrong." 


And  now  it  is  late  October,  and  the  wina  is  howling 
in  the  sodden  trees,  and  it  seems  as  if  the  Lady 
Margaret's  spirit  sighed  often  behind  me  —  and  from 
beneath  the  west  windows  there  comes  a  pitiful 
groan. 

I  know  all  this  is  imagination,  but  sometimes  I  feel 
as  if  I  should  go  mad. 

To-morrow,  Humphrey  has  to  be  in  Wareford  for 
the  whole  day,  on  county  business,  and  I  shall  risk 
everything  and  go  for  a  ride  in  the  park  at  Minton. 
Dremont.  I  had  to  dissemble  and  plan,  and  get  a  letter 
to  the  postman  just  as  he  was  taking  the  bag  this 
morning,  to  let  Hugh  know  —  and  the  horrible  fear  of 
being  detected  by  Humphrey  left  me  cold  and  trem- 
bling until  the  man  was  out  of  view. 

I  have  made  up  my  mind  what  I  shall  say  to  my 
Beloved  —  he  is  free  and  I  am  not.  I  shall  beseech  him 
to  go  away  —  away  on  a  long  tour.  It  has  come  to 
this,  that  agony  must  drive  him  from  his  hcfme  and 
make  him  wander  in  search  of  peace  —  and  I,  left 
alone,  must  bear  it  as  I  can. 

Oh !  indeed,  the  price  of  love  —  when  not  blessed  by 
the  Church  —  is  heavy  enough. 


We  met  in  the  copse,  and  old  William  held  Jenny 
Wren  there,  while  Hugh  and  I  went  through  the  au- 
tumn trees  to  the  garden  door,  and  so  to  his  sitting- 
room.  And  here  for  a  while  we  could  only  sob  out 

245 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

our  passion  and  misery  in  each  other's  arms,  and  then 
I  put  before  him  the  decision  I  had  come  to. 

"  Hugh,"  I  whispered  brokenly,  "  I  cannot  bear  it 
—  I  cannot  take  it  as  they  do  in  the  world,  Letitia 
says  —  as  a  joke  and  an  adventure;  every  time  I  have 
to  stoop  to  scheme  and  plan  and  act  to  Humphrey  to 
be  able  to  see  you,  I  feel  utterly  degraded  and  low. 
It  will  tarnish  our  great  love,  dear  lover  —  it  will  put 
a  blight  upon  that  which  was  pure  and  true,  and  spoil 
even  our  memories.  Hugh  —  I  implore  you  —  go 
away  —  away,  away,  a  long  way  off  —  a  voyage  round 
the  world  —  anything,  until  we  can  both  master  our- 
selves —  and  crush  passion,  so  that  our  meetings  can 
be  free  from  this  awful  pain." 

He  buried  his  face  in  his  hands. 

"  Oh !  my  God !  "  he  said  hoarsely.  "  Has  it  come 
to  this,  then,  darling,  that  I  have  brought  sorrow  into 
your  life,  and  can  no  longer  chase  it  away  ?  " 

"  No  —  no,  Hugh !  You  must  not  say  that,"  I  cried, 
in  pitiful  distress.  "  You  have  brought  divine  joy  and 
fulfilment  —  you  have  taught  me  the  meaning  of  na- 
ture and  life,  and  what  it  is  to  live  in  God's  way  — 
but  now  fate  is  too  hard  for  us.  If  we  stay  here  in 
this  atmosphere  of  deceit — "  and  I  stopped,  the  sob 
rose  too  quickly  in  my  throat. 

Hugh  started  to  his  feet,  as  though  I  had  struck 
him;  he  walked  rapidly  across  to  the  fireplace  and 
back,  his  stern  face  working  in  anguish  —  and  then  he 
seemed  to  come  to  some  resolve. 

"  Guinevere,"  he  said,  and  he  sat  down  beside  me 
again,  and  took  both  my  hands,  "heart  of  me  —  I 
will  do  whatever  you  ask  me  —  but  what  will  our  lives 
be  parted,  and  eating  our  souls  out  alone?  Is  it  not 
better  to  throw  the  whole  thing  over?  Come  away 

246 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

with  me  —  off  now  in  my  yacht  to  the  southern  seas. 
We  need  never  return  to  England  for  years.  Let  your 
husband  divorce  you,  and  we  will  then  marry  imme- 
diately we  can.  After  a  while,  we  could  go  and  live  at 
Bransdale,  and  shut  up  Minton  Dremont  —  Guine- 
vere — " 

I  laughed  wildly,  while  the  tears  blinded  my  eyes. 

"  Ah !  Hugh,  do  you  think  Humphrey  would  ever  do 
that  —  divorce  me !  He  would  track  us  to  the  world's 
end,  and  kill  us  both  without  a  moment's  compunction. 
It  would  give  him  pleasure  —  yes  —  pleasure  and  ex- 
citement like  a  wild-beast  hunt.  And  until  he  came,  I 
would  live  in  haunting  fear,  and  at  last  go  mad,  every 
moment  that  you  were  away  from  me,  in  terror  lest  he 
had  trapped  you  and  done  you  to  death.  Oh!  you  do 
not  know  him,  and  the  Bohun  spirit  and  its  ven- 
geance. Think  of  the  poor  Cavalier,  and  violence  has 
occurred  again  and  again  in  their  history!  The  di- 
vorce court  would  be  a  joke  to  Humphrey;  he  has  al- 
ways boasted  nothing  but  the  death  of  any  unfaithful 
Bohun  wife  would  ever  wipe  out  the  stain  on  the  Bohun 
name  —  he  is  not  a  bit  like  modern  people  —  just  a 
savage,  Hugh." 

"  How  frightfully  unjust,"  my  dear  one  cried, 
clenching  his  hand  passionately.  "  And  to  think  of 
his  own  past  life,  Guinevere  —  and  even  last  year  — 
there  was  a  story  I  heard  in  London  —  Oh!  such  a 
man  should  be  exterminated  by  his  kind  —  and  we  are 
powerless  —  you  and  I  —  but  I  would  be  perfectly 
willing  to  fight  with  him  for  you,  my  darling  —  since 
he  goes  back  to  primitive  savagery  in  this  dramatic 
way.  If  it  is  only  a  question  of  fighting  —  I  am  per- 
fectly ready  to  chance  my  life." 

"  There  is  something  else,  Hugh,"  I  answered  sadly. 
247 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

"  There  are  the  currents  we  should  draw  upon  our- 
selves. My  broken  obligation  to  my  son,  until  he  is 
grown  up  and  can  protect  himself.  And  I  could  not 
ever  have  happiness  knowing  I  had  destroyed  his  ideal 
of  his  mother  —  now  when  he  is  too  young  to  reason 
out  the  justice  or  the  moral  right  of  the  case  —  I 
would  seem  to  him  as  an  evil  creature,  and  I  would  be 
made  to  appear  more  so  by  the  whole  Bohun  family. 
Hugh,  it  is  my  glory  that  you  are  my  lover,  dearest  — 
but,  as  Letitia  once  said  when  she  made  me  understand 
myself  and  the  real  meaning  of  things,  I  have  no  right 
to  hurt  the  community  —  Hugh !  I  must  stand  by  my 
beliefs,  even  if  they  break  my  heart." 

"  But  how  can  we  part,  Guinevere !  "  he  exclaimed, 
rather  wildly.  "  It  is  the  end  of  life,  that  is  all,  dar- 
ling." 

"  Yes,"  I  agreed,  with  the  tears  streaming  from  my 
eyes.  "  But  it  is  better  that  than  that  our  souls  should 
grow  fierce  and  defiant  and  tarnished.  Hugh,  promise 
me  that  you  will  go  away  for  a  time ;  you  are  free  and 
can  do  so  —  I  am  chained  and  cannot,  dear  lover,  or  I 
would  not  ask  you  to  leave  this,  your  home." 

He  knelt  down  beside  me,  and  buried  his  face  in  my 
lap  — •  and  when  he  looked  up  it  was  strained  and  white 
with  agony. 

"  Darling,"  he  almost  sobbed,  his  strong  frame  trem- 
bling. "  I  adore  you  —  never  more  than  to-day.  You 
are  the  truest  and  the  purest  woman  for  a  man's  wor- 
ship. This  anguish  is  the  reality  of  that  farewell  you 
played  last  year.  Now  kiss  me  once  more,  and  I 
will  go  away,  I  promise  you,  until  I  can  master  my- 
self sufficiently  to  be  able  to  come  back  again  in 
peace." 

So,  with  bitter,  blinding  tears,  we  parted  at  last  — 
248 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

my  lover  and  I,  there  in  the  copse  —  when  we  left  the 
sitting-room,  and  I  mounted  Jenny  Wren  and  rode 
homeward. 

And  I  cannot  write  of  my  sorrow,  or  the  long,  pitiful 
ache  of  the  autumn  days. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 
APRIL,  1908 

XDO  not  know  where  to  begin  to  take  up  the 
thread  of  my  life  again  after  all  this  long 
time.     Eighteen  months  have  gone  past  since 
Hugh  went  away,  and  Minton  Dremont  has 
seen  him  no  more.     One  thinks  one  cannot  bear  things, 
and  that  anguish  must  kill  one,  but  it  does  not  if  one 
is  young  enough  and  strong.      I  shall  be  thirty-four 
years  old  in  June,  and  in  outward  appearance  I  am 
not  changed  at  all,  it  would  seem,  by  what  Letitia  says ; 
only  I  am  utterly  so  in  the  inner  me. 

Those  first  weeks  were  all  such  a  blank  anguish,  I 
can  hardly  separate  one  from  another,  except  that  by 
Christmas  time  Humphrey  grew  so  ill  with  gout  and  an 
attack  of  bronchitis,  that  he  was  ordered  abroad  for 
the  rest  of  the  winter  —  and  once  more  I  found  myself 
at  St.  Raphael,  with  Algernon  fretting  during  the 
whole  of  those  holidays  at  missing  the  hunting.  He 
was  obliged  to  be  quiet  about  it  before  his  father,  but 
he  vented  it  on  me  with  true  Bohun  instinct.  He  is 
growing  so  distressingly  like  Humphrey  that  an  utter 
hopelessness  comes  over  me,  because  it  shows  me  more 
strongly  than  ever  the  uselessness  of  my  fighting  against 
nature,  which  seems  more  powerful  than  any  environ- 
ment or  surrounding  influence  of  people. 

Algernon  has  seen  and  suffered  from  the  result  of 
his  father's  temper  and  injustice,  and  yet  this  has  been 

250 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

no  lesson  to  him.  He  hits  out  in  exactly  the  same  man- 
ner when  anything  crosses  him.  Eton  prevents  his 
growing  into  a  bully  openly,  but  I  cannot  help  fearing 
that  now,  when  he  is  going  to  have  fags  of  his 
own,  their  situation  will  not  be  all  joy,  judging 
by  his  ways  with  the  animals  and  groom  and  stable 
strappers. 

We  came  back  to  England  too  late  for  the  races  last 
Easter;  another  cause  of  anger  and  repining  to  him: 
he  loathed  having  to  join  us  abroad  again,  Humphrey 
insisting  upon  his  doing  so  and  refusing  a  tempting 
invitation  from  the  Morvaines. 

Then  we  settled  down  at  Redwood  Moat  once  more 
in  the  beautiful  late  spring  of  last  year.  Letitia  had 
a  letter  or  two  from  Hugh  after  he  first  went  away,  but 
the  final  one  said  he  was  going  far  into  Tibet  and  would 
be  for  many  months  in  inaccessible  places  —  and  since 
then  there  has  been  silence,  and  no  one  knows  where  he 
is  or  what  has  happened  to  him. 

I  have  used  every  strength  I  possess  to  crush  out 
emotion  in  myself  —  I  have  forced  myself  to  do  all  my 
duties  —  to  the  villagers,  in  the  county,  and  in  the 
household — with  extra  care.  I  wish  I  had  one  of  those 
characters  able  to  take  a  deep  interest  in  outside  af- 
fairs, but  the  repression  of  my  life  for  so  many  years, 
the  fear  of  Humphrey,  and  the  habit  of  living  always 
in  a  world  of  my  own  into  which  he  could  not  penetrate, 
and  could  not  dominate  with  his  shadow,  has  become 
too  strong  to  overcome.  I  am  a  silent,  solitary  person, 
and  I  cannot  help  it.  I  have  been  through  the  severest 
discipline  with  my  mind,  of  long  and  deep  courses  of 
the  study  of  abstruse  subjects  that  require  all  my  in- 
telligence to  grasp,  especially  this  new  wave  of  the 
scientific  investigation  of  the  forces  that  affect  us  be- 
17  251 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

yond  the  material,  which  seems  to  have  swept  over 
civilization  with  the  new  century. 

And  the  result  of  this  knowledge  of  cause  and  effect 
makes  me  know  that,  because  Hugh  and  I  went  against 
the  tremendously  strong  current  invoked  by  the  beliefs 
and  prejudices  of  centuries  in  the  breaking  of  the  law 
of  man,  we  must  pay  the  price  to  its  end,  and  only  God 
knows  what  that  end  may  be.  Since  we  are  not  of  the 
natures  which  can  feel  all  things  lightly,  as  Letitia  says 
they  do  in  the  world,  our  pleasures  and  our  pains  must 
always  be  deep.  I  have  grown  to  take  a  more  profound 
interest  than  ever  in  the  garden  and  nature,  and  all  the 
dear  plants  and  flowers  —  and  they  seem  to  bring  me 
comfort  and  hope  that  some  day,  when  the  debt  is  paid, 
we  shall  come  into  peace. 

I  am  not  fighting  against  fate,  I  am  bearing  it  as 
well  as  I  can;  and  often  I  sit  at  the  east  window  and 
send  forth  strong  and  loving  thoughts  and  prayers  for 
the  welfare  of  my  Beloved. 

I  feel  and  know  nothing  evil  has  befallen  him,  and 
some  day  he  will  return,  and  perhaps  we  shall  both  be 
strong  enough  to  meet  as  friends. 

How  glorious  life  would  be  if  one  had  known  always 
how  to  draw  to  oneself  only  good,  and  avert  evil  — 
if  one  had  been  taught  from  the  beginning  these  won- 
derful laws,  one  could  have  avoided  that  which  must 
bring  pain.  Surely  the  next  generation,  who  will  have 
the  chance  of  knowledge,  will  be  splendidly  happy 
people. 

For  me,  I  always  used  to  ask  myself  in  my  first  years 
of  warping  wretchedness  and  ignorance:  What  does 
it  all  mean?  To  what  end?  Do  great  actions  and  fine 
aims  'bring  peace  and  happiness,  or  is  everything 
chance?  And  if  there  is  no  such  thing  as  chance,  but 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

that  every  circumstance  and  event  of  our  lives  is  the 
direct  result  of  our  own  action,  how  are  we  to  know 
how  to  direct  that  action  since  we  cannot  always  fore- 
see its  result?  And  then  I  began  to  read  and  under- 
stand little  by  little,  and  make  small  experiments  — 
and  look  back  and  draw  deductions ;  and  I  have  come  to 
realize  that  it  does  really  all  lie  in  our  own  hands  indi- 
vidually and  in  the  community  what  we  draw  to  our- 
selves, and  it  seems  to  me  that  the  theory  of  former 
lives  is  the  only  one  which  contains  justice.  My  mar- 
riage to  Humphrey,  about  which  I  had  no  say,  must 
have  been  some  debt  I  had  to  pay  for  some  former  ac- 
tion. My  love  for  Hugh  has  been  the  awakening  of  my 
soul  to  the  highest  things,  but  as  my  debt  is  not  yet 
paid,  it  must  bring  me  suffering  until  that  is  worked 
out. 


Letitia  was  at  first  very  angry  with  me,  for  what 
she  called  my  "  stupid  seriousness." 

"  Why  in  the  world,  Guinevere,"  she  said,  "  could 
you  not  have  taken  the  affair  as  every  other  woman 
does,  instead  of  having  all  those  exalted  feelings  about 
it  ?  Here  is  poor  Hugh  sent  off  from  his  home  because 
you  feel  degraded  when  you  deceive  Humphrey,  who 
entirely  deserves  that  fate.  It  would  have  been  my 
pride  and  delight  to  match  my  wits  against  his,  and  it 
would  have  added  all  the  zest  of  a  continual  excitement. 
But  you  hopelessly  serious  *  Eagle  '  people  must  always 
drag  in  tragedy.  I  have  no  patience  with  you !  " — • 
and  then  she  softened  as  she  looked  into  my  face. 
"  Dear  little  sister,"  she  went  on  more  gently,  "  you. 
are  suffering  horribly,  of  course,  in  a  manner  we  none 
of  us  know  anything  about.  Winnie's  way,  for  in- 

255 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

stance,  was  to  be  so  upset  when  she  heard  Hugh  had 
gone,  that,  although  it  was  much  too  late  in  the  year, 
she  went  right  off  to  some  German  baths  —  and  tried 
to  give  us  all  the  impression  he  had  bolted  on  her  ac- 
count! She  behaved  like  a  sorrowing  widow  for  quite 
three  months,  until  past  Christmas  —  and  only  got 
over  it  when  she  felt  the  stimulation  of  taking  Bobby 
L'Estrange  away  from  Ermyntrude  was  possible.  The 
whole  set  have  had  ructions,  and  have  seemed  to  have 
gone  to  pieces  without  the  crystallizing  centre  of  Min- 
ton  Dremont  and  the  fight  for  Hugh." 

"  Don't  let  us  talk  about  my  stupidity,  Letitia,"  I 
implored  her.  "  I  know  it  —  I  know,  according  to 
every  sensible  view,  I  am  a  perfect  idiot ;  but  I  cannot 
help  it  —  I  could  not  have  gone  on  with  the  situation 
as  it  was,  or  Hugh  either.  As  you  say,  we  have  Eagle 
ways,  I  suppose  —  and  only  desire  one  mate." 

Langthorpe  had  a  bad  accident  while  he  was  riding 
in  the  Park,  at  the  end  of  June,  and  very  nearly  died, 
and  Letitia  nursed  him  with  the  utmost  devotion,  giv- 
ing up  her  whole  remaining  season,  and  then  taking 
him  down  to  Cheshire  to  recruit.  She  stayed  there  with 
him,  nothing  but  a  nurse,  until  late  in  September,  so  I 
did  not  see  her  all  the  summer,  as  Humphrey  would 
not  allow  me  once  to  go  away  from  home.  But  in  the 
autumn  she  came  again  to  Redwood  Moat. 

She  was  horrified  to  observe  the  change  in  Hum- 
phrey; he  is  so  irritable  that  even  to  her  he  could  not 
always  keep  up  his  gallant  manner,  and  rasped  once  or 
twice,  while,  although  I  try  always  to  be  perfectly  meek 
and  gentle  to  him,  I  can  do  nothing  right  in  his  eyes, 
it  would  seem.  His  health  is  quite  restored  now,  though, 
and  except  for  occasional  fits  of  the  gout,  he  is  as 
strong  as  ever  and  has  hunted  all  this  last  winter.  But 

254 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

nothing  will  induce  him  to  allow  me  to  leave  him ;  I  have 
hardly  been  to  London  to  shop,  even  for  a  day.  It  is 
not  that  I  see  much  of  him  —  not  at  all,  practically, 
except  at  meals  —  but  he  likes  me  to  be  there  to  go 
through  the  same  stiff  duties  day  after  day,  and  play 
him  to  sleep  in  the  evenings.  We  have  had  very  few 
visitors  —  only  dear  old  Sir  John  Kaird,  except  the 
usual  parties  for  the  partridges  and  pheasants. 

Algernon's  holidays  this  year  —  the  second  since 
Hugh  went  away  —  have  been  rather  a  trial,  because  of 
the  rows  between  him  and  Humphrey,  both  at  Christmas 
and  Easter.  Their  two  haughty  faces  glared  at  one 
another  often  at  dinner,  and  Humphrey  seemed  to  ex- 
perience a  delight  in  humiliating  the  boy.  "  Taking  it 
out  of  the  young  cub,"  he  called  it. 

Algernon  was  sixteen  this  March,  though  to  look  at 
he  might  be  eighteen  or  nineteen  at  least.  I  do  not 
think  in  my  life  I  have  ever  seen  any  one  so  handsome ; 
everything  about  him  is  physically  perfect,  but  for  the 
hard  brilliancy  of  his  splendid  eyes.  Women  are  al- 
ready growing  to  take  too  much  notice  of  him.  In  the 
hunting  field  all  these  last  Christmas  holidays,  which 
we  spent  here,  they  flattered  him;  but  as  yet,  I  am 
thankful  to  say,  he  is  perfectly  indifferent  to  their 
blandishments  and  rather  resents  their  attention.  This 
state  of  things  cannot  go  on  for  long,  though,  with  his 
strongly  passionate  type. 

Humphrey  always  insinuates  that,  at  this  age,  he  had 
already  begun  to  take  an  interest  in  women.  It  utterly 
revolts  me,  and  I  pray  that  the  remote  touch  of  me  in 
my  child,  which  gave  him  the  gray  eyes,  will  be  enough 
to  keep  some  refinement  of  spirit  in  him.  But  Hum- 
phrey says  the  coarsest  things  before  him,  and  if  it 
were  not  that  I  know  he  has  a  complete  respect  for  me, 

255 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

and  so  holds  at  least  one  woman  high,  I  should  think 
his  opinion  of  the  sex  could  not  be  ever  anything  but 
base.  There  is  a  perfectly  ruthless,  brutal  material 
common-sense  about  him,  which  leaves  me  frozen  at 
times.  To  neither  my  husband  nor  my  son  is  there 
anything  really  sacred  or  beautiful  and  true ;  but  I  have 
no  right  to  wonder  or  lament  that  not  one  atom  of  love 
or  tenderness  seems  to  be  in  Algernon's  spirit.  He  was 
created  when  fear  and  horror  and  protesting  hate  had 
the  only  sway  of  me.  Oh !  what  a  terrible  responsibility 
it  is  to  bring  children  into  the  world,  and  how  pitiful 
is  the  ignorance  and  the  thoughtlessness  of  half  the 
inhabitants  of  it  on  this  subject.  All  I  can  do  now  is 
to  try  in  every  way  to  soften  the  boy  by  my  love  and 
gentleness,  and  make  up  to  him  for  what  in  my  piteous 
youth  and  want  of  understanding  I  brought  him.  If  he 
had  been  Hugh's  son  —  but  I  must  not  think  of  such 
things. 


It  is  early  May  now,  and  Letitia  —  with  Lang- 
thorpe !  —  has  come  to  spend  a  Saturday  to  Monday 
with  us,  and  to-night  we  have  talked  in  my  shrine  as  in 
former  days. 

"  I  got  so  accustomed  to  my  old  boy,  his  having  been 
so  weak  and  helpless  for  so  long,  and  nothing  but  a 
kind  of  baby  to  me,  that  now  I  feel  quite  lost  without 
him,"  my  sister  said,  by  way  of  explanation  as  to  why 
she  had  brought  her  husband  with  her.  "  He  is  really 
one  of  the  greatest  dears  I  know,  Guinevere  —  and  I  am 
forty-four,  and  can  now  have  a  little  rest  with  him  —  I 
have  grown  rather  tired,  sometimes,  of  those  younger 
men,  except  Gerald  Northey  —  he  remains  an  adoring, 
fresh,  young  inspiration  —  but  that  is  a  thing 

256 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

apart — "  She  stopped  suddenly,  and  looked  long  at 
me  as  I  sat  there  in  the  great  oak  chair  opposite  her  — 
she  herself  being  in  the  more  comfortable  hooded  one 
that  is  covered  with  faded  magenta  brocade. 

"  Guinevere,"  she  remarked  at  last,  "  your  face  is 
like  a  saint's,  dearest.  Not  one  of  those  tiresome, 
sickly,  goody  creatures  one  sees  in  pictures  —  but  what 
one  would  mean  to  one's  self  by  a  saint.  It  is  as 
pure  as  a  lily  and  almost  transparent  —  and  you 
haven't  aged  a  day;  but  your  eyes  look  as  if  they  had 
seen  and  known  the  whole  of  life,  and  were  now  fixed 
beyond,  in  a  queer  peace.  You  are  growing  very  beau- 
tiful, little  sister." 

"  Oh !  Letitia !  "  I  sighed,  "  I  am  not  a  saint  at  all  — 
I  am  just  trying  to  live  as  calmly  as  I  can  —  because  I 
have  always  the  strange  feeling  that  I  am  waiting  for 
something  —  and  yet,  what  am  I  waiting  for?  I  do 
not  know  —  for  the  last  months,  four  at  least  —  I  am 
waiting  in  an  unconscious  expectancy  —  of  what? 
Whatever  happens,  it  seems  to  be  only  passing,  as 
though  events,  places,  people,  actions,  thoughts — all, 
all  were  as  the  telegraph  poles  seen  from  a  train  win- 
dow, while  my  soul  rushes  on  —  where?  " 

"  You  wonderful  creature,  Guinevere,"  Letitia  said. 
"  Perhaps,  in  the  end,  you  will  get  your  heart's  desire. 
Tell  me,  do  you  still  love  Hugh  as  absolutely  as  ever  — 
now  that  you  have  not  seen  him  for  nineteen  months  ?  " 

A  great  shiver  ran  through  me.  Do  I  love  Hugh  as 
much  as  ever ! 

And  I  answered  from  the  depth  of  my  being : 

"  While  there  is  life  in  my  body,  and  while  my  soul  is 
conscious  to  all  eternity,  Letitia,  I  shall  love  Hugh  al- 
ways and  absolutely  —  for  me  there  is  no  other  man." 

"  It  almost  frightens  me,"  my  sister  said,  and  she 
257 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

shivered  a  little,  and  drew  her  chair  nearer  the  glowing 
logs  —  the  night  was  clear  but  cold  and  chill.  "  Be- 
cause I  have  a  piece  of  news  for  you.  At  the  end  of 
May  Hugh  is  arriving  in  England,  and  will  probably 
return  to  Minton  Dremont  —  and  what  will  you  do 
i  then,  Guinevere  ?  " 

A  breathless  moment  passed,  and  I  answered  very 
low: 

"  I  hope  God  will  direct  me  to  do  whatever  is  the  best 
for  us  all,  Letitia." 

"  You  think  you  will  be  able  to  be  friends?  " 

"  I  —  trust  so  — "  and  I  rose  abruptly  from  my 
chair  and  went  and  looked  out  of  the  north  window.  I 
felt  stifling.  I  opened  the  casement  wide  and  drew 
back  the  thick  silk  curtains,  and  there  the  moonlight 
flooded  the  view. 

"  Well,"  said  my  sister,  rising  also,  "  good  night 
now,  darling  —  you  think  over  it,  and  don't  be  a  dog- 
in-the-manger.  If  you  can't  have  Hugh  yourself,  you 
had  better  get  him  to  marry  some  decent  girl  —  it  is 
rather  awful  to  think  of  Minton  Dremont  going  to 
those  utterly  impossible  cousins." 

And  when  she  had  gone,  I  went  back  to  the  window 
again,  and  there  stayed  until  the  dawn  —  but  I  cannot 
•write  of  the  torment  of  my  thoughts. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 
JUNE,  1908 

HETITIA  went  to  Paris  for  Whitsuntide  — 
Whitsunday  fell  this  year  on  the  seventh  of 
June  —  and  there,  at  the  Ritz,  Hugh  joined 
her  party.  He  did  not  come  to  England 
straight  —  after  all. 

From  the  moment  I  knew  of  his  arrival,  a  wild,  un- 
conquerable excitement  took  hold  of  me.  It  is  pitiful 
that  after  nearly  two  years  of  hard  fighting  with  myself 
to  suppress  emotion  that  this  should  be  so.  I  have 
spent  hours  in  my  little  shrine,  praying  silently  to  God. 
I  have  never  prayed  to  love  Hugh  less,  only  to  be  able 
to  conquer  the  outside  expression  of  my  passion  so  that 
we  may  meet  as  friends.  But,  alas !  I  grow  feverishly 
excited  when  the  moment  for  the  posts  comes,  and  a 
letter  from  Letitia  can  be  expected  —  and  this  morning 
one  arrived.  There  was  nothing  much  in  it  but  gossip 
nbout  the  world,  except  that  Hugh  was  there  with  her 
and  looked  well  and  gay  and  bronzed  —  not  a  word 
from  him,  or  message  for  me.  This  is  as  it  should  be, 
of  course,  but  it  made  me  feel  sick  and  cold  as  I  read, 
I  have  enough  self-control  to  force  myself  to  go  through 
my  duties  and  show  no  sign ;  but  the  gnawing  agony  of 
unrest  is  terrible  to  bear  — much  crueller  as  a  pain 
than  the  utter  desolation  of  the  days  after  our  parting. 
That  was  numb  despair  —  this  is  the  rack. 

The  only  things  which  soothe  me  are  to  play  for 
259 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

hours  on  the  little  piano  alone  in  my  turret  chamber,  or 
to  moon  along  on  Jenny  Wren  in  Corlston  Chase  or  the 
park  of  Minton  Dremont.  The  underwood  in  our  copse 
has  grown  quite  thick  now.  Ah !  the  memories  the  sight 
of  it  calls  up ! 


Letitia's  second  letter  announced  that  Hugh  intended 
returning  to  England  at  the  end  of  the  week. 

"  He  is  quite  ready  to  be  friends  if  you  are,  Guine- 
vere," she  wrote.  "  So  after  all,  things  may  go  well  — 
and  you  must  always  remember  you  have  at  least  had 
your  cake  —  and  it  is  not  fate's  fault  but  your  own 
intense  natures'  if  you  cannot  go  on  nibbling  at  it  all 
the  time  as  sensible  people  would.  And  there  is  one 
thing  to  realize  and  face,  which  no  woman  is  willing  to 
do,  and  that  is  that  the  nature  of  man  is  not  inconsol- 
able, and  he  can  always  find  distractions.  It  is  unjust 
that  the  main  suffering  invariably  falls  upon  the  woman, 
but  so  it  is  —  because  she  is  the  weaker  creature,  and 
Nature  always  punishes  all  weak  things.  Hugh  was 
frightfully  unhappy,  no  doubt,  for  a  long  while  —  but 
he  has  had  a  splendidly  sporting  time,  and  he  has  re- 
turned with  a  fresh  zest  for  civilization,  and  of  course 
is  having  every  sort  of  incense  to  his  vanity  poured 
over  him  by  every  woman  he  sees.  He  is  free,  he  can 
go  where  he  pleases  and  indulge  whatever  fancy  for 
distraction  may  appeal  to  him  —  but  you,  Guinevere, 
are  chained  to  Humphrey  and  Redwood  Moat,  day 
after  day,  and  year  after  year.  Any  other  woman  in 
your  situation  would  take  Hugh  casually  and  agree- 
ably as  a  lover  again,  if  he  is  willing,  and  look  upon 
him  as  a  relaxation,  a  richly  deserved  weekly  outing,  as 
no  doubt  hard-worked  bank  clerks  look  upon  their  Sun- 

260 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

day  game  of  golf.  But  you  say  you  cannot  do  that 
sort  of  thing,  it  all  means  too  much  to  you  —  the  hurt 
to  your  soul  in  having  to  circumvent  your  husband,  al- 
though you  feel  morally  free  and  of  course  are  ethically 
so  as  regards  him.  But  this  hurt  to  your  soul  is  such 
that  it  obliges  you  to  cease  having  Hugh  for  your 
lover.  Well,  all  that  is  plain  then,  little  sister;  there- 
fore, since  this  is  your  conviction  and  you  can't  help 
being  that  lofty,  pure  sort  of  person,  you  have  abso- 
lutely no  right  to  either  let  yourself  grieve,  or  repine 
at  the  results  of  a  situation  entirely  created  by  your- 
self and  your  own  beliefs.  Fate  sent  you  the  most  dar- 
ling lover  a  woman  could  wish  for  —  with  a  house  nice 
and  close,  too,  and  all  perfect,  in  answer  to  your  prayer 
to  live  before  it  was  too  late.  But  your  exalted  soul 
won't  let  yourself  enjoy  those  good  things  —  so  there 
it  is. 

"  I  could  understand  it  better  if  you  were  ortho- 
doxly  religious  like  Ada  thinks  she  is  —  and  felt  pricks 
of  conscience  upon  the  question  of  the  sanctity  of  the 
marriage  tie,  whether  it  is  empty  or  has  lost  its  orig- 
inal meaning  or  no  —  but  that  has  nothing  to  do  with 
it  in  your  case.  You  feel  it  no  sin  to  have  had  Hugh  as 
a  lover  —  you  only  feel  you  are  degrading  yourself  by 
deceiving  Humphrey.  Now  I  have  analyzed  the  whole 
situation,  though  goodness  knows !  we  have  thrashed  it 
out  often  enough  before  —  the  only  reason  that  makes 
me  go  all  over  it  again  is  to  rouse  your  common-sense, 
to  try  and  assist  you  not  to  suffer  more  than  you  need 
do.  Stick  to  being  nice  friends,  if  you  can ;  if  you  can't, 
either  crush  your  supers  en  sitive  honor  toward  Hum- 
phrey and  enjoy  life  again — (remember,  Humphrey 
doesn't  deserve  &  moment's  extra  consideration  so  long 
as  you  do  your  duties  toward  him  in  every  way)  —  or 

261 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

a  third  course  is,  if  you  cannot  make  yourself  do  that, 
then  have  a  final  break  with  Hugh  and  let  him  marry 
some  one  else.  I  can  quite  understand  while  you  were 
everything  to  a  man,  with  your  attractive  looks,  and 
exquisitely  cultivated  intelligence,  to  say  nothing  of 
your  wonderful  love  for  the  creature,  he  would  not  care 
a  snap  for  anything  else  on  earth  or  whether  he  had 
an  heir  or  no  —  but  if  he  can't  have  you  for  his  love 
and  yet  mayn't  have  another  woman  for  his  wife  and 
the  prospect  of  a  son,  it  is  abominably  hard  upon  him. 
So  face  all  these  points,  Guinevere,  and  make  up  your 
mind.  I  will  stand  by  you,  however  you  decide  —  and 
you  have  my  deepest  sympathy,  because  far  down  in  my 
1/eart  I  have  always  the  odious  remembrance  that  I  am 
more  than  half  the  cause  that  you  are  married  to  Hum- 
phrey —  papa  would  not  have  dared  to  agree  to  Hum- 
phrey's passionate  demand  if  I  had  not  backed  it  up, 
and  driven  him  almost.  What  awful  things  one  does 
when  one  is  young  and  self-confident  and  ignorant, 
doesn't  one!  I  thought,  having  married  Langthorpe 
and  being  prosperous,  with  a  great  position  in  the 
world,  that  nothing  else  mattered,  and  that  I  was  being 
awfully  clever  and  kind  securing  the  rich  old  Humphrey 
for  you.  You  were  always  such  a  white,  silent,  gentle 
little  thing;  nobody  but  Bob  ever  understood  you  or 
imagined  you  had  an  atom  of  character.  I  thought 
Humphrey  would  be  kind  to  you,  and  spoil  you  and 
give  you  everything  you  wanted  that  I  had  already  got, 
and  I  knew  papa  was  dying  then,  and  when  he  did  you 
would  not  have  enough  to  live  comfortably  even,  as 
every  sou  of  his  money  went  with  the  place. 

'  You  can  remember,  Guinevere,  how  hideously  poor 
we  were  —  and  the  struggle  to  pay  Fraulein  Strauss 
and  send  Bob  to  Eton.  It  all  seemed  too  awful  to  me 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

to  look  back  upon  after  I  left  home  and  married,  when 
mamma  died.  But  now  I  know  that  no  human  being 
has  the  right  to  force  another's  fate,  and  that  I  did  a 
terrible  thing  to  you,  poor  little  sister !  You  will  prob- 
ably see  Hugh  in  church  on  Sunday  for  the  first  time. 
I  tell  you  this  to  avoid  your  being  anxious,  and  wonder- 
ing when  you  will  be  likely  to  meet  him.  I  shall  come 
down  to  Minton  Dremont  myself  when  I  get  back,  and 
see  how  things  are  going.  So  now,  good-bye." 

Thus  the  letter  ended.  And  as  I  read,  the  closely- 
written  sheets  fell  from  my  hands,  and  all  things  be- 
came a  blank  for  a  few  moments  while  I  stared  into 
space. 

Yes,  my  sister  had  put  the  case  fairly  —  and  I  must 
make  up  my  mind  —  and  then,  for  the  second  time  in 
my  life,  I  flung  myself  on  the  floor,  in  this  my  turret 
room,  and,  burying  my  face  in  the  faded  silk  curtains 
of  the  east  window,  I  gave  way  to  passionate  weeping. 


I  have  seen  Hugh.  He  came,  as  Letitia  said  he  prob- 
ably would,  to  church  on  Sunday.  The  Dremont  pew 
is  on  the  other  side  to  ours,  and  unless  whoever  is  sit- 
ting in  it  turns  round,  I  can  only  see  the  back  of  the 
head.  But  Hugh  came  in  after  we  did,  and  I  saw  him 
as  he  walked  up  the  aisle. 

He  looks  splendidly  well  and  very  bronzed,  and  yes 
—  a  little  older  —  and  when  the  sun  fell  on  him  in  a 
shaft,  I  saw  a  thread  or  two  of  silver  shining  in  his 
brown  hair.  He  was  thirty-nine  years  old  this  April, 
my  Beloved  One. 

In  all  my  life,  I  have  never  prayed  in  church  as  I 
did  this  Sunday.  Prayed  for  his  welfare  and  his  hap- 
piness, and  that  we  might  have  peace.  For  I  have  not, 

263 


GUINEVERE'S    LOVER 

been  able  to  come  to  any  decision  —  only  to  try  my 
hardest  to  remain  just  nice  friends.  7  cannot  face  the 
other  two  alternatives  yet.  And  all  through  the  long 
sermon  that  the  old  parson  gave  us  I  let  my  thoughts 
wander,  and  my  spirit  went  back  to  two  years  ago,  and 
the  time  of  perfect  peace  and  union  we  had  had  at  Min- 
ton  Dremont.  I  look  upon  that  as  my  only  married  life 

—  in  the  sense  of  God's  meaning  in  marriage  —  respect 
and  trust  and  love  between  two  people  entirely  happy 
together.    It  all  seemed  as  though  I  were  looking  back 
across  an  abyss,  and  as  though  I  were  dead  and  in  some 
other  existence. 

Suddenly  Hugh  turned  round,  and  his  dear,  dark- 
blue  eyes  met  mine,  and  I  almost  cried  aloud :  "  Oh ! 
God !  I  love  him  so !  " 

The  moment  was  sickening  when  we  came  out,  and 
Hugh  greeted  us  warmly  with  casual  friendship  on  the 
churchyard  path.  I  remembered  that  time  before  when 
he  had  been  acting  a  part,  after  his  return  from  Lon- 
don, and  he  had  feigned  indifference  —  and  of  the  pain 
it  had  caused  me,  and  of  my  resolutions  afterward  to 
understand  the  reality  and  let  the  seeming  go.  But 
now  I  could  not  tell  which  was  the  reality  and  which 
the  seeming,  so  I  kept  myself  with  an  icy  calm ;  I  feared 
even  to  look  into  his  dear  eyes. 

Humphrey  asked  him  to  come  back  to  lunch  with  us 

—  an  invitation  given  in  a  manner  impossible  to  refuse 
without  a  very  clear  reason,  and  there  could  be  none 
with  Hugh's  recent  arrival  home,  and  his  being  quite 
alone.    He  accepted,  and  I  do  not  know  if  it  was  imag- 
ination on  my  part,  but  it  seemed  almost  as  though 
there  was  a  defiance  in  his  tone. 

"  We  must  hear  of  all  your  adventures  in  Tibet,  Sir 
Hugh,"  I  said,  to  try  and  be  natural ;  he  looked  at  me 

264 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

suddenly  again,  a  flash  of  inquiry  in  his  glance  —  and 
he  answered  rather  coldly. 

We  were  not  left  alone  a  moment,  of  course,  by 
Humphrey  before  luncheon,  and  the  frightful  comedy 
was  kept  up.  I  know  Hugh  so  intimately.  I  know  that 
whatever  his  emotions  are  underneath,  whether  he  only 
fee]  s  friendly  toward  me  or  not,  he  was  acting  now.  I 
felt  it  through  all  the  ease  of  his  conversation,  prin- 
cipally addressed  to  Humphrey,  and  his  whimsical  de- 
scriptions of  his  adventures.  And  as  luncheon  went  on, 
I  became  more  and  more  silent,  the  food  seemed  to 
choke  me  —  I  was  only  conscious  of  a  helpless  ache. 

"  Adelaide  is  coming  down  to-morrow,"  Hugh  an- 
nounced, as  we  were  leaving  the  dining-room.  "  And  I 
do  hope,  General  —  by  the  way,  I  hear  you  are  *  Sir 
Humphrey '  now  since  I  went  off !  —  and  I  have  not 
congratulated  you!  Well,  Adelaide  will  be  enchanted 
to  see  you  again  —  do  come  over  and  lunch  one  day 
and  meet  her." 

Humphrey  accepted  heartily,  and  they  settled  it  for 
the  Wednesday  following,  and  then  Hugh  said  good-bye 
to  me  and  left  with  my  husband,  who  intended  to  walk 
back  with  him  through  the  park. 

And  as  he  touched  my  hand,  ungloved  now  and 
deadly  cold,  a  strange  look  grew  in  his  eyes  —  but 
what  it  meant,  I  know  not ;  and  when  they  were  gone,  I 
went  out  into  the  garden  and  paced  the  walk  between 
the  gnarled  apple  trees ;  I  felt  as  though  the  walls  of 
my  turret  would  have  crushed  me.  I  must  be  out  in 
God's  sunlight  to  get  some  warmth  into  my  frozen 
heart. 


CHAPTER  XXV 
JUNE,  1908 

XDID  not  wish  to  go  to  Minton  Dremont 
on  the  Wednesday,  but  Humphrey  insisted 
upon  it. 

"  You  are  beginning  to  give  yourself  airs, 
Guinevere,"  he  snapped.  "  And  the  sooner  you  cease 
this  sort  of  thing,  the  better.  It  is  bad  enough  for  a 
man  to  have  to  live  all  the  year  round  with  a  white  altar 
statue  of  a  wife  as  I  have  to,  without  her  crossing  his 
will  when  he  wants  a  little  amusement." 

My  eyes  filled  with  tears,  I  do  not  know  why,  and 
Humphrey  checked  himself. 

"  It  was  a  damned  mistake  —  our  marriage,"  he  re- 
marked, in  a  different  tone,  "  and  it  has  been  deuced 
hard  on  me,  as  I  have  given  you  everything,  though 
considering  our  two  ages  perhaps  you'll  say  I  have  no 
one  but  myself  to  blame.  But  you  are  the  coldest  bit 
of  womankind  I've  ever  come  across  —  I  don't  believe 
any  man  in  the  world  could  have  ever  made  you  feel. 
You  were  meant  to  be  a  nun  -r-  shut  in  a  convent." 

"  I  am  very  sorry,"  I  returned,  my  voice  trem- 
bling, and  the  tears,  gathering,  rolled  down  my  cheeks. 
"  I  do  not  mean  to  cross  your  will  or  do  anything  ex- 
cept what  you  may  wish  —  I  will  go  and  get  ready," 
and  I  was  turning  away,  when  he  came  after  me  and 
caught  hold  of  my  arm. 

"  I  don't  know  what  these  silly  tears  are  for,"  he 
266 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

said.  "  I  may  be  a  brute  to  you  sometimes  —  but  I  am 
too  old  to  change,  Guinevere  —  and  I  don't  mean  to 
try  now  —  so  you  had  better  learn  to  put  up  with  me." 

Then  he  kissed  me  roughly,  and  gave  me  a  push  to- 
ward the  stairs  —  and  I  went  on  and  dressed  as  quickly 
as  I  could.  And  so  we  came  to  Minton  Dremont. 

Here  I  fancied  Lady  Morvaine  received  us  with  some 
faint  restraint  in  her  manner,  though  she  was  gracious 
enough,  but  there  lacked  her  former  warmth  of  personal 
affection  somehow,  and  it  wounded  me.  Hugh  only 
came  in  at  the  last  moment,  full  of  apologies  for  his 
lateness;  he  had  been  seeing  some  new  horses,  he  ex- 
plained. 

It  was  the  most  lovely  day,  and  all  the  buzzing  noises 
of  happy  insects  were  in  the  air.  It  hardly  seemed 
that  this  could  be  the  dining-room  at  Minton  Dremont 
—  its  atmosphere  was  so  altered.  Humphrey  did  the 
entire  talking ;  he  wished  to  consult  Hugh  upon  the  sub- 
ject of  buying  a  small  sailing  yacht  to  cruise  about 
Southampton  Water  in  —  his  doctor  had  told  him  it 
would  be  the  best  thing  for  him,  and  set  him  up  for  a 
hard  winter's  hunting  again. 

Hugh  knew  of  the  very  one  for  him  —  he  had  just 
heard  of  it. 

"  You  can  hire  her  for  this  season,  General,"  he  said, 
"  and  buy  her  afterward.  Her  name,  strangely  enough, 
is  the  Guinevere  —  a  remarkable  coincidence,  isn't  it !  " 
and  he  smiled  gaily. 

During  the  whole  meal  he  had  never  once  met  my 
eyes ;  his  manner  had  in  it  almost  an  antagonism  when 
he  did  address  me.  My  unhappiness  kept  growing  and 
growing  in  an  amazed  wonderment  at  the  ways  of  men. 

Here  was  this  man,  who  had  been  my  dear  and  much- 
loved  lover  —  from  whom  I  had  parted  with  bitterest 
18  267 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

anguish  of  grief  on  his  side  as  well  as  on  mine.  I  had 
left  him  with  deep  resentment  against  Humphrey  and 
fate  —  and  with  every  vow  of  undying  love  to  me.  And 
now,  in  under  two  years,  we  meet  again  as  strangers, 
with  never  even  a  kind,  tender  word  as  an  echo  coming 
from  him  to  me  to  lighten  the  darkness  of  my  life,  or 
even  a  look  of  sympathy  or  understanding  friendship. 
The  pain  of  that  hour  at  luncheon  burnt  into  my  soul. 
After  it,  the  two  men  went  off  to  the  stables  to  see  the 
new  horses  —  and  I  was  left  with  Lady  Morvaine  —  but 
the  anguish  of  everything  made  talking  to  her  a  tor- 
ture —  and  I  hardly  heard  what  she  said,  until  I  real- 
ized she  was  speaking  upon  the  old  subject  again.  She 
must  have  been  approaching  it  with  tact  for  some  time, 
but  I  had  not  taken  it  in  —  I  was  startled  at  this  sen- 
tence : 

"  Yes,  it  was  a  dreadful  grief  to  us  when  he  went  off 
away  so  far  —  we  do  so  hope  nothing  will  happen  to 
make  him  wish  to  do  it  again.  I  never  cared  very  much 
for  all  Hugh's  friends  —  except  your  dear  sister,  Lady 
Langthorpe  —  but  I  hoped  that  among  their  daughters, 
somehow,  he  would  find  a  wife." 

"  Yes,"  I  murmured.  "  Well,  perhaps  he  will 
now." 

"  You  used  to  have  great  influence  with  him,  dear 
Lady  Bohun  —  if  you  get  an  opportunity,  do  please 
do  what  you  can,"  she  went  on.  "  We  are  more  than 
anxious  now,  because  Victor  Dremont's  eldest  son  has 
just  got  into  a  terrible  scrape,  and  married  a  very 
abandoned  French  dancer,  and  the  second  one  is  wretch- 
edly consumptive,  and  so  is  the  younger  boy.  It  is 
simply  heartbreaking  for  us  all." 

I  rose  to  my  feet;  "  I  really  feel  for  you,"  I  said, 
"  and  I  will  certainly  try  what  I  can  do  —  if  I  get  the 

268 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

chance  —  but  now  I  have  just  remembered  something  I 
must  send  off  by  this  afternoon's  post,  so  if  you  will 
say  good-bye  to  Sir  Hugh  when  they  come  in  —  I  will 
walk  home  quickly  through  the  park,  and  leave  the  car- 
riage for  my  husband." 

Human  endurance  was  at  an  end,  I  could  bear  no 
more. 

She  at  once  offered  me  the  motor,  but  I  refused.  To 
be  alone  among  the  green  trees  that  I  loved  would  com- 
fort me,  and  bring  me  strength,  I  hoped. 

So  I  went  on  my  way,  and  I  pray  that  never  again 
can  I  have  in  life  the  same  sort  of  agonizing  pain  as  I 
suffered  then.  To  be  forgotten  quite  —  to  have  passed 
beyond  even  friendship  with  my  dear  lover,  so  that  there 
was  almost  a  bitterness  in  his  manner  toward  me.  Well, 
he  might  marry  whom  he  pleased  now.  Life  felt  over 
for  me.  I  am  not  a  coward  naturally  —  I  could  not 
have  fought  all  through  these  two  years  if  I  had  been, 
but  when  I  got  to  the  copse  I  felt  sick  and  faint  in  the 
blazing  sunlight,  and  I  climbed  the  little  stile  to  sit 
down  in  the  cool  shade.  The  brushwood  was  all  breast 
high,  and  with  difficulty  I  pushed  my  way  through  to 
the  centre  where  our  old  bench  had  stood.  There  it 
was  still,  and  I  sank  down  upon  it,  exhausted  with  all 
the  cruel  torment  I  had  suffered.  I  felt  too  miserable 
to  reason  or  even  to  think  coherently;  just  a  numb,  dull 
agony,  as  if  everything  in  me  hurt. 

The  tears  that  had  been  so  near  to  my  eyes  this 
morning  gathered  again.  I  do  not  know  how  long  I 
sat  there,  anguish  makes  moments  seem  hours  —  it  may 
not  have  been  much  later,  when  I  heard  some  one  com- 
ing through  the  bushes,  and  I  sat  still  in  fear.  I  hated 
that  a  keeper  should  see  me  in  tears.  But  the  branches 
parted,  and  Hugh  came  forward ! 

269 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

"  My  God !  "  he  cried  —  and  he  held  out  his  arms. 
"  Guinevere  —  my  darling,  to  find  you  —  so." 

I  started  to  my  feet.  The  intense  humiliation  —  that 
he  should  come  upon  me  thus,  with  tearful  eyes ! 

"  It  was  very  hot,"  I  said,  in  a  strange  voice,  unlike 
my  own.  "  I  —  I  came  in  here  to  get  a  little  shade." 

**  And  I  came  to  find  you,"  Hugh  answered,  anxiety 
and  pain  in  his  tone.  "  When  we  got  back  to  the  house 
Adelaide  told  us  you  had  gone  home.  The  General  then 
said  he  would  drive  on  into  Waref ord  —  so  I  rushed 
after  you  to  Redwood  —  but  Hartington  said  you  had 
not  returned  —  and  I  feared  —  I  do  not  know  what  I 
feared.  I  knew  I  could  not  have  missed  you  —  going  — 
if  you  had  stuck  to  the  path  —  and  then  I  thought  of 
this  our  copse,  and  I  came  back  here  as  fast  as  I  could, 
and  I  find  you  —  with  tears  in  those  dear  eyes  —  Guine- 
vere — " 

But  I  did  not  speak. 

"  After  all  these  weary  months,  have  you  not  one 
word  to  say  to  me,  dear  Love?  "  he  pleaded. 

My  knees  felt  as  if  they  must  give  way  beneath  me, 
and  I  sank  once  more  down  upon  the  bench  —  he  sat 
beside  me,  and  took  both  my  hands. 

"  Guinevere,  for  God's  sake,  speak  to  me !  "  he  cried. 

"  What  can  I  say  to  you,  Hugh,"  I  whispered,  hardly 
aloud.  "  I  do  not  understand." 

He  let  go  my  hands,  and  clenched  his  own  together. 

"  No  —  I  ought  not  to  talk  to  you  like  this.  I 
thought  I  had  conquered  all  emotion,"  he  said.  "  At 
first,  when  I  went  away,  it  was  a  sort  of  madness  of 
agony  —  and  then  it  grew  duller  —  and  then  excitement 
came  with  the  lust  of  the  hunter  —  and  then  the  inter- 
est in  exploring  difficult  places  —  but  often,  the  misery 
of  things  remembered  made  me  reckless  and  perfectly 

270 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

indifferent  to  danger  or  possible  death  —  that  is  why  I 
escaped  all  harm  —  I  did  not  care  a  rush  for  my  life, 
Guinevere,"  and  he  gave  a  little,  bitter  laugh.  "  And 
then  I  made  myself  grow  cynical  again  and  forced  my- 
self to  try  and  forget  all  the  beautiful,  pure  things  you 
had  taught  me,  dear.  I  wanted  to  stop  the  pain  — 
somehow  —  and  told  myself  it  was  undeserved  —  and 
that  I  would  never  have  brought  it  upon  myself,  be- 
cause I  would  never  have  parted  from  you  —  and  by  the 
time  I  had  got  to  Paris,  I  believed  I  had  crushed  it.  I 
had  regulated  the  thought  of  you  as  you  had  been  to  me 
into  something  dead  and  gone  out  of  ray  life  —  removed 
by  yourself  —  and  I  believed  I  could  come  home  and 
see  you  as  you  now  were  with  safety  —  I  ached  for 
home  sometimes  —  I  did  everything  I  could  in  Paris  to 
distract  myself.  I  hoped  you  would  look  older,  and 
would  not  attract  me  so  much  —  and  then  I  saw  you  in 
church  —  more  sweet  than  ever  —  and  in  that  one  in- 
stant I  knew  nothing  had  been  of  any  use,  and  that  I 
love  you  and  only  you  in  the  whole  world  with  the  same 
passionate  intensity  as  ever.  Then  I  was  full  of  defi- 
ance, so  I  tried  to  be  brutal  —  I  tried  to  be  cold  —  I 
resented  that  I  should  have  to  go  through  this  awful 
pain  again,  Guinevere,  but  I  could  not  bear  it,  and  when 
I  saw  you  to-day  I  had  only  one  mad  desire  —  to  come 
after  you  to  tell  you  I  loved  you  still,  to  hear  you  say 
you  loved  me.  And  the  moment  that  I  was  free  I  did 
follow  you  —  and  now  I  find  you,  and  your  little  face  is 
the  most  pathetic  thing  I  have  ever  seen.  It  looks  like 
a  sad  child's,  and  it  is  ethereally  beautiful,  too,  darling: 
—  it  frightens  me.  It  does  not  seem  of  earth,  it  is 
so  pale  and  transparent  —  Guinevere  —  Oh !  tell  me, 
sweetheart  —  how  has  it  been  with  you  all  these  weary 
days?  Tell  me— " 

271 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

"  I  have  fought  hard  —  for  peace,"  I  said,  very  low. 

"  And  have  you  found  it?  "  he  demanded  anxiously; 
and,  as  I  could  not  answer,  he  asked  again :  "  And 
have  you  found  it,  Guinevere?  " 

"No,  Hugh,"  I  faltered  at  last.  "Nothing  is 
changed." 

"  You  love  me  still?  "  and  now  his  voice  had  a  note, 
of  gladness  in  it  —  and  again  he  took  my  hands. 

"  I  have  never  ceased  to  love  you,  Hugh,"  I  told 
him.  "  I  have  never  even  prayed  to  do  that." 

He  held  out  his  dear  arms  to  me,  and  whispered : 

"  Guinevere  —  Oh !  I  am  starving !  " 

Then  time  and  pain,  and  anguish  and  thoughts  of  the 
future  were  all  forgotten  for  a  brief  moment,  while  I 
sank  into  his  fond  embrace.  Human  nature  was  too 
strong  for  us ;  we  could  resist  its  force  no  longer.  And 
if  the  angels  were  looking  on,  their  hearts  are  too  com- 
passionate to  have  blamed  us. 

But  now  I  am  sitting  in  my  turret  chamber  alone, 
holding  Petrov  tightly  in  my  arms.  I  feel  I  must  grasp 
something  tangible  before  I  float  down  the  tide  of  fate 
—  Ah !  God  —  whither  ? 


CHAPTER  XXVI 
AUGUST,  1908 

XT  is  the  first  week  in  August  now,  and  we  are 
all  at  Cowes  —  Humphrey  and  Algernon  and 
I  on  the  little  yawl,  the  Guinevere,  and  Hugh 
on  his  large  racing  schooner,  the  Hermione  — — 
at  least,  the  Hermione  is  here,  but  Hugh  has  been  in 
London  to-day  and  returns  with  Letitia  and  Lang- 
thorpe  to-night. 

We  have  spent  all  July  yachting,  Humphrey  and  I, 
with  only  old  Sir  John  Kaird,  but  Hugh  has  often 
laeen  near  us  and  sailed  with  us  —  or  we  with  him,  and 
now  we  have  just  anchored  in  Cowes  roads  for  the  week. 

I  have  been  feverishly  happy  —  I  never  allow  myself 
to  think  —  I  stifle  every  suggestion  of  the  past  or  the 
future  —  I  live  breathlessly  from  day  to  day.  Hugh  is 
happy,  too,  but  without  any  repression  of  thought,  be- 
cause he  is  a  man  and  free  and  has  a  right  to  live  as  he 
chooses.  He  seems  to  love  me  more  passionately  than 
ever,  as  though  the  ache  and  abstinence  of  the  long 
months  of  separation  had  to  be  made  up  for  —  as 
though  he  fears  to  lose  me.  He  would  like  never  to 
leave  me  for  an  instant,  it  would  seem. 

I  am  reckless  —  I  have  never  once  used  subterfuge  or 
acted  a  lie  to  Humphrey,  so  I  have  not  suffered  my  olo! 
sense  of  degradation.  I  have  left  it  all  to  fate  —  and 
if  Humphrey  discovers  that  Hugh  is  my  lover,  then  I 
will  drown  myself  in  the  sea  —  before  Algernon  can 

273 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

ever  know  —  that  is  the  price  I  will  pay,  and  it  is  the 
kind  of  one  Humphrey  would  agree  to  and  understand. 

But  it  seems  as  though  the  forces  beyond  were  aiding 
us,  and  my  husband  himself  seems  to  make  everything 
smooth,  and  throw  us  easily  into  each  other's  company. 

I  feel  I  know  now  what  the  French  nobles  must  have 
felt  when  they  played  cards  so  gaily  in  the  prison,  never 
knowing  when  it  might  be  their  last  game  on  earth,  or 
on  which  morrow  the  axe  of  the  guillotine,  for  them, 
might  fall. 

Once  or  twice  there  has  been  a  rough  day  in  the 
Solent,  and  it  has  given  both  my  lover  and  me  pleasure 
to  sail  in  a  tiny  boat  he  has,  tearing  over  the  waves 
together,  not  caring  in  the  least  if  one  giant  should 
swamp  us.  A  strange,  wild,  weird  joy  is  exalting  us. 
Humphrey  has  let  me  go  alone  with  Hugh  without  a 
murmur  of  dissent. 

"  It  will  do  her  good,  Dremont !  "  he  has  even  said. 
"  Buffet  her  about  a  bit,  and  put  some  heart  into  her  — 
get  along !  " 

And  these  are  almost  the  only  times  we  have  been 
absolutely  quite  alone.  But  there  have  been  many  dif- 
ferent hours  of  sitting  on  the  deck  together  and  talking 
in  happy  peace  —  while  Humphrey  and  Sir  John  moved 
within  view. 

The  whole  cruise  is  doing  us  all  good,  I  think.  Away 
from  the  ghosts  of  Redwood  Moat,  Humphrey  is  much 
more  genial  —  ana  twice  we  have  had  the  pleasure  of 
running  down  the  Channel  for  a  day  and  over  to  France 
in  Hugh's  large  boat,  which  is  the  most  comfortably 
arranged  yacht  one  could  imagine.  How  I  adore  the 
sea  —  beautiful,  treacherous,  passionate  thing ! 

Algernon,  who  came  two  days  ago,  is  perfectly  en- 
chanted with  everything.  He  is  absolutely  fearless  al- 

274 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

ways,  and  ready  to  chance  any  danger  if  he  can  only 
find  one  to  indulge  in.  He  seems  to  have  grown  and 
have  got  to  look  older  even  since  Easter.  And  in  his 
cabin  when  the  steward  first  unpacked  his  things  I  per- 
ceived several  photographs  of  Comic  Opera  chorus  stars 
and  one  with  "  Rosie  "  scrawled  across  it  —  what  does 
this  mean,  I  wonder  —  he  stayed  in  London  with  his 
friend  Burbridge  for  two  nights  at  the  Morvaine  house 
before  joining  us  here,  and  I  suppose  went  to  the  the- 
atre. Burbridge  has  left  Eton  and  goes  up  to  Oxford 
in  the  autumn.  I  dare  not  tell  Humphrey,  of  course  — 
and  yet  it  worries  me  to  see  these  photographs,  though 
there  is  nothing  the  least  serious  in  their  suggestion. 
They  merely  show  that  the  indifference  to  female  blan- 
dishment which  was  apparent  in  the  hunting  season  has 
been  thawed,  and  it  is  absurd  to  look  at  Algernon  any 
longer  as  a  child. 

Dressed  for  dinner  in  his  immaculate  clothes,  he 
might  be  almost  twenty  years  old.  He  is  over  six  feet 
tall,  and  not  too  reedy.  He  is  in  the  Eleven  now,  and 
will  play  at  Lords  next  year ;  this  is  a  tremendous  tri- 
umph for  one  so  young.  To-morrow  is  Saturday,  when 
all  the  world  arrives  at  Cowes,  and  we  shall  land  and 
go  into  the  Squadron  Gardens  —  and  there  I  shall  see 
Hugh  again  —  and  Letitia  —  they  arrive  too  late  for 
us  to  meet  to-night. 


The  week  is  nearly  over  —  and  it  has  produced  new- 
phases  between  us  all.  I  had  never  been  here  before, 
and  was  greatly  charmed  with  the  place  and  the  whole 
thing.  It  would  not  be  possible  to  find  in  the  world,  I 
should  think,  such  another  collection  of  men  who  look 
so  like  gentlemen  as  those  one  sees  in  the  Castle  Gar- 

275 


dens,  though  the  majority  of  them  are  quite  old.  The 
yachting  clothes  are  particularly  becoming,  they  make 
any  man  appear  good-looking;  but  the  distinction  and 
that  peculiar  ease  and  sans  gene  are  all  their  own. 

The  Squadron  Gardens  is  a  place,  too,  like  Eton, 
ruled  by  unwritten  laws  —  which  are  as  of  the  Medes 
and  Persians  in  their  rigid  changelessness.  Woe  to  the 
stranger  who  transgresses  them !  —  his  time  there  will 
be  brief. 

Humphrey  met  countless  old  friends,  who  chaffed  him 
for  having  been  hidden  from  the  world  so  long,  and  he 
became  in  the  best  of  tempers;  we  had  invitations  all 
the  time  to  lunches,  and  dinners  on  the  other  yachts. 

This  sort  of  very  neat  yachting  garment  suits  me,  I 
suppose,  for  Letitia  told  me  I  was  greatly  admired,  and 
certainly  for  the  first  time  in  my  life  I  seem  to  be  sur- 
rounded constantly  by  agreeable  men,  and  Hugh's  eyes 
often  have  the  pupils  large,  and  but  for  Letitia  he  would 
do  reckless  things.  It  has  been  fine  nearly  all  the  time, 
too,  and  we  have  been  able  to  go  ashore  and  listen  to 
the  band  in  the  evenings,  seated  in  those  comfortable 
basket-chairs  —  and  it  is  then  that  sometimes  my  lover 
is  able  to  whisper  to  me,  and  he  grows  more  passionately 
fond  each  day.  This  is  the  first  time  he  has  ever  seen 
me  at  ease,  surrounded  by  interesting  people,  and  not 
snubbed  continually  by  my  husband,  who  is  too  busy 
here  amusing  himself  to  notice  me,  or  what  I  am  doing ; 
and  it  has  added  new  zest  to  his  lore. 

In  London  with  Letitia's  friends,  I  was  too  much  on 
my  guard  ever  to  be  natural  or  at  ease  with  any  of 
them,  and  so  could  not  shine  at  all.  At  Cowes,  that 
particular  set  of  women  are  not  much  represented.  Ex- 
cept Lady  Hilda  Flint  —  and  Letitia  herself  —  not  one 
of  them  who  matter  is  here  —  they  do  not  care  for 

276 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

yachting,  it  would  seem.  I  am  so  glad  of  that;  I  feel 
free! 

"  Winnie  and  Ermyntrude  simply  loathe  the  sea," 
Letitia  said,  when  I  asked  why  they  were  not  tearing 
after  Hugh  as  usual.  "  And  Ada  has  to  go  to  Scotland 
—  they  have  somehow  always  allowed  him  to  have  this 
week  to  himself  by  a  sort  of  tacit  understanding.  It  is 
a  mercy,  isn't  it,  considering  that  now  he  is  back  in 
England  they  are  keener  than  ever  to  reconstruct  the 
circle  at  Minton  Dremont  and  to  consolidate  it  by  mar- 
rying him  off  to  any  one  of  them  that  they  can !  " 

I  laughed,  knowing  how  deliciously  futile  their  efforts 
would  be. 

To-morrow  there  are  to  be  fireworks,  and  on  Satur- 
day numbers  of  people  go  away,  and  next  week  we  give 
up  the  Guinevere  and  return  to  Redwood  Moat,  much 
to  Algernon's  sorrow. 


There  is  weeping  rain  to-day,  and  I  do  not  know  how 
to  write  —  but  I  must  try  so  as  to  collect  all  my  cour- 
age —  for  something  terrible  has  happened  and  the  j  oy 
and  desire  of  living  is  over  for  me,  and  I  must  face  an 
existence  now  which  seems  more  cruel  than  death.  For 
in  my  code  of  religion  we  have  none  of  us  the  right  to 
take  our  own  lives  to  try  to  escape  from  merely  per- 
sonal misery  —  that  course  is  only  justified  when  it  is 
taken  to  save  the  consequences  of  our  actions  from  fall- 
ing upon  the  innocent  souls  we  are  responsible  for.  I 
would  willingly  step  quietly  over  the  yacht's  side  now 
into  the  gray  rain-beaten  waters  if  that  would  bring  me 
annihilation  and  so  peace  —  but  my  soul  would  only 
wander  for  cycles  of  misery,  unquiet  and  pitiful,  as  is 
the  Lady  Margaret's  soul  —  burdened  by  my  broken 

277 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

responsibility  to  my  son,  who  has  not  yet  grown  to  full 
man's  estate. 

No  —  I  must  live  —  that  is  the  price  that  circum- 
stances now  oblige  me  to  pay  for  breaking  the  law  of 
man  —  and  whatever  comes  I  must  bear  it  with  a  calm 
face. 

Last  night  —  the  night  of  the  fireworks  —  we  all 
dined  on  shore  at  "  Egypt,"  where  a  merry  party  is 
staying,  and  there  was  one  gallant  Irishman  who  began 
immediately  at  dinner  to  make  love  to  me,  and  this 
drove  Hugh  perfectly  mad ;  he  was  sitting  opposite,  and 
Humphrey  on  the  same  side  of  the  table.  There  was  no 
mistaking  the  purport  of  the  Irishman's  speeches,  and 
his  attitude  and  whole  manner  expressed  the  most  elab- 
orate devotion.  The  last  two  days  have  been  extremely 
difficult  for  Hugh  and  me;  we  have  not  once  had  a 
chance  to  be  for  an  instant  alone,  and,  as  ever,  the  irri- 
tation of  these  restrictions  has  acted  upon  him  to  pro- 
duce the  same  passionate  unrest. 

His  face  at  dinner  was  thunderous  with  jealous  fury. 
I  spent  a  time  of  terror,  in  case  Humphrey  or  any  of 
the  rest  of  the  party  would  notice  it.  The  moment  we 
had  finished  we  all  moved  out  into  the  garden  together 
to  have  our  coffee  quickly,  so  as  to  get  back  to  the 
Squadron  Gardens  in  time  for  the  fireworks.  The  amor- 
ous Irishman  was  making  his  way  to  me  when  Hugh  de- 
liberately stepped  in  front  of  him  and  sat  down  in  the 
chair  —  and  with  supreme  insolence  then  apologized  to 
Captain  O'Gorman,  but  did  not  attempt  to  give  up  the 
seat! 

His  eyes  were  flashing  as  he  whispered  to  me : 

"  Guinevere  —  I  will  not  bear  it.  You  belong  to  me ; 
how  dared  you  let  that  brute  sprawl  over  you  at  din- 
ner!" 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

For  the  first  time  in  our  knowledge  of  one  another,  I 
fired  up  and  answered  haughtily: 

"  How  dare  you  speak  to  me  like  that?  " 

His  face  quivered  with  angry  pain,  while  he  drew  in 
his  breath  and  shut  his  lips  like  a  vise.  I  repented  in- 
stantly ;  it  was  just  the  Ferrer's  spirit  in  me  which  arose 
at  being  spoken  to  by  my  lover  so  sharply,  it  was  not 
that  I  resented  his  assumption  of  authority  —  I  admit- 
ted and  gloried  in  that. 

"  Hugh,"  I  whispered  contritely,  "  I  am  sorry  — 
dearest,  please  forgive  me  —  I  did  not  mean  that. 
Of  course,  you  have  a  right  to  scold  me  if  you 
choose." 

His  stern  face  changed  immediately,  and,  reckless  of 
all  outsiders'  possible  observation,  he  bent  over  me  with 
an  expression  of  deep  emotion. 

"  I  don't  want  to  scold  you,  darling,"  he  said  in  my 
ear.  "  I  am  simply  wild  with  the  torment  of  things.  I 
have  grown  to  love  you  absolutely  to  madness  lately  — 
far  more  than  ever  —  and  it  drives  me  completely  crazy 
when  I  see  another  man  making  love  to  you,  and  I  know 
that  I  have  not  the  right  openly  to  interfere  —  and  that 
a  few  whispers  in  the  Gardens  or  a  snatched  kiss  in  the 
dark,  are  all  the  crumbs  of  comfort  I  shall  get  perhaps 
for  days  and  days  —  Guinevere,  I  have  been  so  awfully 
unhappy  this  week,  I  do  not  know  how  to  bear  my 
life." 

An  icy-cold  pain  stabbed  me.  This  is  the  first  time 
Hugh  has  ever  said  that  the  situation  is  causing  his 
existence  to  be  darkened.  I  could  not  speak  for  a  mo- 
ment, it  hurt  me  so.  If  our  love  was  bringing  him  tor- 
ture, then  we  ought  to  part  again,  I  felt. 

Before  I  found  my  words,  a  general  move  was  made, 
all  to  get  into  the  fiies  which  were  waiting  —  the  first 

279 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

rocket  had  gone  up.  And,  seized  by  Humphrey,  I  was 
separated  from  Hugh;  and  he  did  not  rejoin  me  again 
until  we  were  standing  just  outside  the  entrance  to  the 
Castle  platform  in  a  blaze  of  the  light  of  a  set-piece  of 
the  King  and  Queen. 

He  came  up  behind  me,  and  he  whispered,  his  voice 
vibrating  with  passion : 

"  Guinevere,  the  General  is  now  going  back  to  play 
bridge  at  *  Egypt ' —  Algernon  is  talking  to  the  Wei- 
brooks  in  that  jolly  young  party,  and  the  moment  this 
glare  is  over  they  will  all  go  and  listen  to  the  music  as 
they  did  last  night,  without  his  joining  us.  And  the 
music  does  not  finish  until  eleven  o'clock,  as  you  know. 
Directly  every  one  turns  back  toward  the  band,  say 
good  night  to  our  hostess,  put  your  scarf  over  your 
head,  and  go  down  to  the  landing  stage,  my  launch  will 
be  waiting,  very  few  of  the  other  yachts'  boats  are  there 
as  yet.  I  shall  already  be  in  it,  and  we  will  go  off  to 
the  Hermione  and  have  an  hour  in  peace.  Then  I  will 
take  you  to  the  Guinevere  and  return  in  time  to  pick  up 
Algernon,  telling  him  you  were  tired  and  went  straight 
on  board.  The  Guinevere's  boat  is  to  wait  for  the 
General." 

He  did  not  remain  for  my  reply,  but  stepped  in 
among  the  crowd,  and  I  was  too  moved  and  miserable 
to  think  of  disobeying  him. 

Letitia  was  nowhere  about ;  she  was  dining  on  another 
yacht,  and  had  not  landed  at  all  to-night.  There  was 
nothing  particularly  compromising  in  my  going  off  from 
the  steps  in  Hugh's  launch  —  it  had  taken  us  all  often 
before,  and  I  might  really  have  been  returning  to  our 
boat.  But  still  it  was  the  first  time  my  lover  has  ever 
chanced  anything  for  me.  The  passion  in  him  must 
certainly  have  risen  to  a  terrible  height. 

280 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

But  the  lights  and  the  crowd  generated  excitement, 
and  I  felt  I  did  not  care  what  happened;  I  must  see 
and  speak  to  Hugh  in  peace. 

It  reminded  me  of  the  old  day  at  Victoria  Station 
when  I  met  him  to  go  to  Richmond  Park,  as  I  walked 
down  the  squadron  landing  stage  to  the  launch  —  and 
there  got  in  with  what  calmness  I  could.  Hugh  was 
waiting  for  me,  and  we  flew  over  the  smooth  waters  — 
the  Hermione  was  lying  fairly  close  in,  and  we  seemed  to 
arrive  in  no  time ;  we  had  not  spoken  a  word,  as  Hugh 
steered. 

"Lord  and  Lady  Langthorpe  returned  yet?"  he 
asked  cheerily  of  the  first  mate  who  helped  us  on 
board  —  and  "  Not  yet,  Sir  Hugh,"  was  the  expected 
answer  he  got;  and  we  went  beyond  the  deck  house, 
where  the  comfortable  chairs  are  grouped,  and  where 
the  sailors,  when  the  ship  is  at  anchor,  never  come  at 
this  hour  of  the  night.  There  in  the  shadows  Hugh 
clasped  me  in  his  arms,  and  then  he  spoke,  his  dear 
voice  deep  with  emotion : 

"  I  am  perfectly  mad,  Guinevere.  I  love  you  so  —  it 
is  reckless  of  me  to  make  you  come  here,  perhaps ;  but 
I  am  beyond  that  —  I  cannot  bear  any  more  torment 
to-night." 

I  felt  I  understood  this,  and  oh!  it  was  so  divine  to 
be  with  him  again  after  our  checks  and  frets.  We  sat 
there  watching  the  stars  blissfully  content  at  last,  all 
ruffled  sensations  between  us  smoothed  now  in  the  hap- 
piness of  being  together  alone,  and  never  has  Hugh 
been  more  adorably  tender  and  fond  and  worshipping, 
and  never  have  I  loved  him  with  more  profound  depth. 
We  seemed  to  be  at  the  zenith  of  joy  —  all  shadows 
forgotten  and  all  fears  lulled  to  rest.  I  shall  always 
remember  the  beauty  of  the  scene  around  us,  with  the 

281 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

illuminated  fairy  yachts,  and  the  glorious  summer  star- 
lit sky  above. 

"  Oh,  soul  of  me !  "  Hugh  whispered.  "  If  we  could 
sink  down  into  the  dark-blue  waters  and  stay  forever 
thus  together  for  eternity  —  how  good  it  would 
be." 

And  I  sighed  a  fond  "  yes." 

But  we  were  startled  from  this  exquisite  dreaming 
by  hearing  the  echoes  of  "  God  save  the  King !  "  wafted 
over  the  still  sea  from  the  gardens,  and  we  rose  quickly 
to  our  feet! 

The  band  was  over,  and  by  no  possible  hurrying 
could  I  be  back  on  the  Guinevere  and  Hugh  at  the 
steps  before  Algernon  would  be  standing  there  waiting 
for  him.  Hugh  would  have  to  invent  an  excuse.  A 
chill  of  foreboding  crept  over  me  —  I  do  not  know  why 
—  and  we  both  hastened  into  the  waiting  launch  and 
made  all  speed  to  our  yawl,  and  there  leaning  over 
the  rail  was  —  Algernon !  who  hailed  us. 

"  Is  that  you,  mother  ?  Where  on  earth  have  you 
been?  They  told  me  you  had  gone  in  Sir  Hugh's 
launch  —  I  came  in  our  boat  soon  after  you,  my  beastly 
nose  began  to  bleed,  and  I  hadn't  a  second  handker- 
chief." 

Hugh  followed  me  up  the  gangway  on  to  the  deck, 
and  there  my  heart  seemed  to  stop  beating  for  a  sec- 
ond —  for  when  the  light  of  the  lantern  fell  on  my 
son's  face  it  seemed  as  though  a  suspicious  sardonic 
gleam  lurked  in  his  eyes. 

It  was  then  that  Hugh's  nerve  and  sang  froid  showed 
itself. 

"  Your  mother  has  been  on  the  Hermione  with  me  — 
quite  safe,"  he  said,  with  imperturbable  calm.  "  She 
was  so  weary  of  standing  about  at  the  fireworks  that  I 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

took  her  there  to  have  some  coffee  in  peace,"  and  then 
he  turned  to  me. 

"  Don't  think  of  remaining  up  for  me  now,  Lady 
Bohun,  since  Algernon  is  here.  If  he  isn't  very  tired 
I'll  stay  with  him  and  have  my  cigar  while  I  wait  for 
the  General.  I  want  to  settle  about  sailing  round  to 
Ventnor  to-morrow,  and  we  ought  to  arrange  things 
to-night.  We  will  have  to  make  such  an  early  start.'* 

His  manner  was  the  perfection  of  naturalness, 
neither  too  effusive  nor  too  stiff,  and  we  said  a  friendly 
good  night,  and,  kissing  Algernon,  I  disappeared  be- 
low, leaving  my  lover  and  my  son  alone  together  — 
there  under  the  stars. 

And  I  knew  when  I  sank  trembling  on  to  the  sofa  in 
my  cabin  that  Hugh  had  saved  me  for  this  time,  but 
that  nothing  could  ever  remove  suspicion  from  Alger- 
non's Bohun  mind,  if  ever  it  had  occasion  to  be  aroused 
again.  No  —  I  was  face  to  face  with  that  other  awful 
side  of  the  case  —  not  the  smirching  of  my  own  soul 
this  time  from  the  stooping  to  dissimulate  to  my  hus- 
band, but  the  even  more  terrible  aspect  of  destroying 
my  son's  belief  in  his  mother  and  raising  doubts  of  her 
in  his  heart. 

Then,  like  a  ghastly  flash  of  lightning  blasting  my 
brain,  came  the  realization  that  the  end  had  come  — 
the  very  end,  and  with  a  moan  I  fell  forward  upon  the 
cabin  floor. 


19 


CHAPTER  XXVII 

long-drawn-out  anguish  of  these  awful 
days.  It  rained  incessantly  without  a  breath 
of  wind  the  whole  of  the  Saturday  until  late 
in  the  afternoon,  and  we  were  not  able  to  go 
for  our  sail.  Hugh  came  on  board  in  the  morning  early 
to  consult  with  Humphrey  as  to  what  to  do ;  but,  being 
aware  my  husband  had  already  decided  not  to  try  to 
start,  I  did  not  go  up  on  deck.  I  felt  too  broken  and 
feeble  after  my  night  of  misery  to  be  able  to  face  Hugh, 
knowing  the  agonizing  things  I  should  have  to  say  to 
him,  when  next  we  could  be  alone.  It  was  better  that 
he  should  be  able  to  be  natural  with  Humphrey  and 
Algernon  once  more  before  he  knew.  I  heard  them  all 
laughing  and  swearing  at  the  rain,  then  the  noise  of 
another  boat's  arriving,  and  Algernon's  penetrating 
voice  asking  if  he  might  accept  the  invitation  the  Wei- 
brooks  had  just  sent  to  go  on  board  their  steam  yacht, 
and  steam  with  them  round  the  island  and  stay  and 
dine.  They  could  have  such  jolly  fun,  and  did  not 
mind  the  rain. 

Humphrey  assented,  and  Algernon  gave  a  joyous 
shout,  and,  clambering  down  the  companion,  burst  into 
my  cabin  with  hardly  a  knock. 

"You  are  lazy,  mum!"  he  exclaimed,  "lying  on 
that  sofa.  The  Welbrooks  have  asked  me  to  go  with 
them  for  the  day,  and  father  has  said  I  may.  I  haven't 
a  moment  —  good-bye,"  and  he  gave  me  a  hurried  kiss 
and  rushed  off,  and  soon  I  heard  the  splash  of  oars,  and 
knew  he  was  on  his  way. 

284 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

I  felt,  as  he  was  gone,  I  must  make  the  chance  to 
see  Hugh  somehow. 

I  got  up  and  went  on  deck,  and  called  out  good 
morning,  and  Hugh  and  Humphrey  came  from  the  bows 
and  j  oined  me  in  the  little  deck  house  —  descending 
with  me  to  the  saloon. 

**  Is  Letitia  up  yet?  "  I  asked.  "  I  do  want  to  see 
her  to-day;  we  have  all  been  too  busy  to  have  a  word, 
the  whole  week  —  but  in  this  awful  wet  she  can't  want 
to  do  anything  —  will  you  take  me  back  with  you,  Sir 
Hugh?  " 

"  Yes,  do,"  said  Humphrey,  "  and  then  drop  me 
ashore  —  I  shall  go  and  have  a  game  of  bridge  at 
'  Egypt,'  and  ask  for  some  luncheon  after.  The  sea  is 
sickening  in  this  weather." 

So  we  started,  the  launch  going  on  with  Humphrey, 
after  taking  Hugh  and  me  to  the  Hermione.  Letitia 
was  not  up,  of  course,  or  even  awake,  Langthorpe  told 
us ;  he  was  comfortably  smoking  in  the  deck  house,  with 
all  the  morning  papers  ;  so  Hugh  and  I  went  down  alone 
into  the  saloon.  It  is  perfectly  arranged,  with  its 
white  panelling  and  blue  curtains,  and  it  has  a  piano 
and  plenty  of  light. 

"  I  want  to  play  to  you,  Hugh,"  I  said,  after  he  had 
folded  me  in  his  arms.  There  was  an  anxious,  ques- 
tioning look  in  his  dear  eyes,  as  they  gared  into 
mine.  I  could  not  speak  of  terrible  things  yet 
with  certainly  two  hours  of  undisturbed  peace  in 
front  of  us  —  and  I  could  not  talk  ordinarily  of 
other  matters;  and  with  my  heart  aching  and  seared 
with  pain,  to  make  music  was  the  best  way  to  comfort 
us  both. 

"  Guinevere,"  Hugh  said,  as  he  opened  the  piano  for 
me.  "  I  know,  I  feel  there  is  something  —  darling  — " 

£85 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

and  then  he  seized  me  wildly  in  his  arms  again.  "  Oh ! 
God !  "  he  whispered  brokenly,  "  I  am  —  afraid  —  to 
think  what  it  is.  Yes,  play  to  me,  dear." 

Then  he  went  and  flung  himself  into  the  corner  of 
the  great,  deep  wall  sofa,  where  he  could  watch  my 
face  —  sideways  —  and  there  he  sat,  his  tall  form 
crouched  together,  his  attitude  constrained. 

I  played  and  played  for  an  hour,  perhaps  —  every 
sort  of  angel's  song,  and  my  own  soul  floated  up  in  the 
divine  sounds  —  I  seemed  to  see  a  bright  light  beyond 
the  awful  abyss  of  pain. 

At  last  I  played  him  a  new  thing  that  I  had  Just 
got  —  a  modern  thing,  but  one  of  astonishing  meaning 
and  pathos  —  and  all  this  time  Hugh  had  not  stirred 
beyond  a  passionate  clasping  of  his  hands  once  or 
twice.  Then  I  played  the  "  Farewell  " —  the  tears 
gathering  in  my  eyes  ran  in  big  drops  down  my 
cheeks. 

And  my  dear  lover  rose  and,  coming  over,  knelt  be- 
side me,  and  drew  me  close. 

"  Ah !  God !  Beloved !  "  he  said,  his  voice  so  hoarse 
with  suffering  it  did  not  sound  like  his  own.  "  That  is 
what  you  mean,  Guinevere.  I  knew  it  would  come  — 
last  night  —  directly  I  saw  Algernon's  face." 

"  You  understand,  then,"  I  murmured,  with  a  sob  in 
my  throat.  "  Hugh  —  we  could  not  love  like  we  do  if 
our  souls  were  so  unfine  that  they  could  face  —  the 
possibility  of  —  that." 

"  Yes,"  he  said,  in  anguish.  "  And  to  think  that,  if 
I  had  not  let  passion  conquer  me  last  night  —  the  ne- 
cessity to  part  might  never  have  arisen,"  then  he 
groaned  as  though  his  very  being  was  wrung  with 
agony.  "  Oh  —  my  God,  what  hideous  suffering !  • — 
what  weaklings  we  all  are !  " 

286 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

It  is  a  terrible,  an  awesome  thing,  to  see  a  strong 
man  cry  —  and  as  the  tears  poured  down  my  lover's 
face,  and  sobs  shook  his  frame,  reason  seemed  to  leave 
me.  At  that  moment,  I  felt  I  would  give  my  life  —  my 
soul  —  to  assuage  his  grief. 

"Hugh,"  I  sobbed,  "my  darling,  my  lover  —  Oh! 
God  in  heaven!  what  can  I  do  to  bring  you  comfort. 
Hugh,  this  is  breaking  my  heart." 

He  controlled  himself  then  —  and  leaned  his  head 
against  my  shoulder  —  as  he  knelt  there  and  once  more 
encircled  me  with  his  arms. 

"  Guinevere  —  my  darling,  must  it  be  so  ?  "  and  all 
the  pleading  of  the  world  seemed  melted  in  his  dear 
voice.  "  I  will  promise  —  I  will  faithfully  promise  — 
never  again  to  give  way  to  anything  that  would  create 
a  situation  that  you  need  fear.  I  have  not  the  pluck 
to  face  again  the  awful  agony  of  parting  from  you. 
You  don't  —  you  can't  know  what  you  mean  to  me  — 
more  than  anything  in  heaven  or  earth.  You  can  judge 
of  the  colossal  importance  you  are,  because  I  am  a 
man — .with  the  strongest  passions,  as  you  know,  and 
accustomed  all  my  life  to  gratify  them  when  I  fancied, 
though  I  am  not  altogether  a  brute.  And  I  am  willing 
to  crush  them  all  out  —  to  live  like  a  priest  —  never  to 
touch  you,  never  to  kiss  you  —  never  to  hold  you  in  my 
arms  again  —  if  you  will  only  let  me  see  your  wor- 
shipped face,  and  hear  your  voice,  and  live  in  your 
atmosphere  —  Guinevere  —  I  would  rather  be  dead 
than  separated  altogether." 

"  Hugh,"  I  answered,  my  words  almost  incoherent 
with  misery.  "  There  would  be  no  use  in  your  promis- 
ing those  things,  dear  lover  —  because  —  I  am  not  so 
strong  —  I  could  not  so  master  myself  —  and  the  mo- 
ment would  come  when  I  should  ask  you  to  take  me  back 

287 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

into  your  arms  —  and  break  all  vows.  If  the  strength 
of  your  love  for  me  shows  in  your  willingness  to  try  to 
crush  that  which  is  so  strongly  one  of  your  attributes, 
mine  for  you  shows  equally  in  the  passionate,  mad  emo- 
tion for  you  which  you  fill  me  with  —  emotion  which  is 
entirely  foreign  to  my  natural  feelings  and  character 
—  for  to  all  others  I  am,  and  always  will  be,  '  ice  to  the 
moon.'  .Hugh  —  I  love  you  so  —  I  know  now  —  I  could 
never  be  friends,  even  if  you  could.  So  we  must  part 
for  ever  in  this  world,  my  lover.  You  must  go  away 
again,  and  use  all  your  will  this  time  to  forget  me  — 
and  then  come  back  and  do  your  duty  to  your  family  — 
and  your  race.  I  cannot  yet  ask  you  to  marry  another 
woman  —  but  that  day  must  come.  And  as  those  who 
take  the  veil  and  are  dead  to  the  world  —  I  will  —  live 
on  in  my  prison-house,  and  do  my  duty  as  best  I  am 
able  to  my  husband  and  my  son  —  and,  some  day,  God 
will  give  us  peace  —  because  our  souls  will  be  free,  and 
not  blackened  with  any  degradation.  Hugh  —  kiss  me 
a  farewell." 

And  with  a  sob  of  agony  that  still  rings  in  my  ears, 
my  lover  pressed  his  lips  to  mine  in  a  passionate  good- 
bye —  and  while  he  still  held  me  to  him,  Letitia  entered 
the  saloon.  She  stopped  for  a  second  with  a  kindly 
smile  in  her  eyes,  and  then  she  took  in  the  meaning  of 
the  situation,  and  she  came  toward  us,  her  cheery,  glow- 
ing face  full  of  sorrow  and  concern. 

"  My  dear  children  — "  she  began,  when  Hugh  inter- 
rupted her :  he  rose  to  his  feet,  and  I  rose,  too  — and 
then  he  took  my  hand. 

"  Letitia,"  he  said,  "  my  darling  is  one  of  God's 
angels  —  she  knows  best  —  and  we  must  part.  Be  the 
dear  you  are,  and  help  us  to  get  through  the  hours 
until  Monday  like  gentlepeople.  My  best,  old  friend." 

288 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

And  for  the  first  time  in  her  life,  that  I  have  ever 
seen  her,  my  sister  sat  down  upon  the  sofa  and  burst 
into  floods  of  tears. 


Now  I  am  up  in  Cheshire,  and  Humphrey  is  here, 
too,  while  Algernon  stays  at  the  Morvaine's  —  and 
while  my  husband  and  my  brother-in-law  walk  and  ride 
together,  Letitia  showers  kind  common-sense  and  af- 
fection upon  me  —  so  we  get  through  the  days.  And  I 
know  neither  my  dear  lover  nor  I  will  ever  cease  to  re- 
member her  goodness  to  us  during  that  ghastly  Satur- 
day and  Sunday,  or  her  tact  and  wisdom.  I  think  we 
all  played  the  game  —  as  we  should  have  done  — 
and  no  one,  even  Langthorpe,  had  the  least  idea  of 
the  tragedy  that  was  taking  place  in  Hugh's  life  or 
mine. 

I  shall  keep  the  picture  always  of  the  Hermione  as 
she  passed  our  moorings,  early  on  the  Monday  morn- 
ing, like  a  great  white  seagull,  her  sails  set;  and  I 
caught  a  glimpse  of  Hugh,  and  he  raised  his  yachting 
cap  in  greeting,  and  then  turned  abruptly  away  —  and 
I  knew,  if  I  could  have  seen  them,  that  his  dear,  blue 
eyes  were  wet. 

Soon  now  we  are  going  back  to  Redwood  Moat  again 
—  for  Algernon  to  shoot  partridges,  and  there  the 
round  of  my  old  life  will  begin  once  more —  and  I  must 
not  be  a  coward  or  give  way  to  pain.  It  will  not  be  as 
it  was  before,  with  some  vague  subconscious  hope  that 
fate  would  be  kind  and  that  after  conquering  emotion 
Hugh  would  return  and  be  freinds.  Now  the  severance 
is  as  of  death.  For  when  he  comes  back  to  live  at 
Minton  Dremont,  I  must  face  the  thought  that  he  will 
marry,  and  that  I  shall  see  another  woman  in  our  gar- 

289 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

den  and  our  house  —  and  that  she,  and  not  I,  will  lie 
next  his  heart. 

Oh!  God  — give  me  strength  and  make  me  numb- 
er dead  —  before  that  day  comes. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 
JUNE,  1910 

flies  —  even  when  it  is  one  long  pain ;  if  it 
is  monotonous,  the  days  and  weeks  go  by  and 
leave  no  mark. 

It  seemed  the  first  thing  which  caused  me  to 
take  any  heed  of  events  was  when  Algernon's  Christmas 
holidays  came  round  that  first  year.  They  brought 
continuous  rows  and  disagreeables  with  his  father.  The 
influence  of  Redwood  Moat  seemed  to  reassert  itself 
soon  after  we  returned  from  Cheshire,  and  Humphrey 
resumed  his  gloomy,  irritable  manner  —  when  it  is  im- 
possible to  please  him.  He  was  strongly  resentful  of 
my  pale  looks.  What  was  the  use,  he  said,  of  taking 
me  to  the  sea  and  giving  up  a  whole  month  to  my 
amusement,  yachting,  if  as  soon  as  I  came  back  to  my 
home  I  should  begin  to  droop  again  and  "  go  white 
about  the  gills?  " 

I  did  not  venture  to  remind  him  that  the  yacht  had 
been  hired  upon  his  account,  and  not  upon  mine.  I 
just  remained  meekly  silent,  as  usual.  I  feel  and  know 
I  am  more  than  tiresome,  and  that  a  great  deal  can  be 
said  for  Humphrey  in  his  having  to  put  up  with  such 
a  wife.  But  I  do  not  know  what  to  do  or  how  to  make 
myself  different.  I  try  in  every  way  to  please  him  by 
listening  to  his  stories,  and  being  ready  to  do  anything 
he  may  want;  but  a  blank,  appalling  indifference  is 
always  upon  me,  just  as  if  only  the  actual  machinery  of 

291 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

existence  were  left  to  me  and  none  of  the  mental  sensa- 
tions, and  then  there  will  come  fits  of  violent  grief  and 
emotion,  at  lengthy  intervals,  when  I  can  no  longer 
master  myself  but  stay  all  night  sobbing  by  the  east 
window,  waiting  for  the  dawn.  Next  day  after  this,  I 
will  grow  quiet  again  and  pick  up  the  threads  with  re- 
newed determination  to  overcome  my  weakness  and  take 
some  interest  in  life. 

The  astonishing  part  is  that  I  am  not  aging  much. 
The  intense,  unvarying  monotony  of  my  life  seems  to 
keep  everything  at  a  standstill,  and  but  that  my  eyes 
are  "  unfathomable  pools  of  resignation,"  as  Letitia 
describes  them,  I  am  not  altered  at  all,  she  says.  I  am 
glad  at  this,  because  in  every  woman's  heart  there  is  a 
hope  that  she  may  long  keep  that  which  once  pleased 
her  lover. 

Algernon  is  developing  a  stronger  taste  than  ever  for 
horses  and  racing  and  hunting.  He  knows  every  thor- 
oughbred by  name  and  pedigree  that  is  going  to  run 
in  the  year,  and  in  some  moods  Humphrey  will  encour- 
age him,  and  in  some,  snub  him ;  and  then,  when  Alger- 
non has  left  the  room,  turn  angrily  and  rail  at  me  about 
his  tastes.  And  when  I  defend  the  boy  and  venture  to 
say  that  I  think  Humphrey's  methods  with  him  are  un- 
just, he  turns  upon  me,  and  says  I  always  cross  him. 
The  situation  is  so  impossibly  difficult,  it  is  unimagin- 
able. Letitia  comes  down  to  see  us  when  she  can,  and 
rarely  I  am  allowed  to  go  and  stay  for  a  day  or  two 
with  her.  And  when  I  am  there  in  London  I  try  to  be 
gay  and  human  again,  but  it  is  all  a  hopeless  pretence 
—  life  and  joy  and  the  meaning  of  all  things  left  me 
with  the  parting  from  my  lover. 

And  of  him  some  news  is  heard  from  time  to  time. 
He  stayed  yachting  all  the  summer  and  into  the  au- 

292 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

tumn,  and  then  started  upon  an  expedition  with  another 
man  to  shoot  big  game,  going  from  there  for  more 
explorations,  and  did  not  return  to  England  until  the 
following  June.  Letitia  saw  him  then  in  London  — 
very  changed,  she  thought  him.  He  did  not  once  men- 
tion me,  my  sister  said;  they  avoided  the  subject  as  one 
avoids  speaking  to  a  recent  widower  of  his  dead  wife. 
Hugh  was  cynical  and  bitter  in  his  general  view  of 
things,  and  his  adoring  group  of  friends  buzzed  round 
him  in  vain.  Then  he  went  off  to  shoot  in  Scotland, 
and  then  abroad  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  from 
there  all  over  America,  and  Minton  Dremont  has  seen 
him  only  for  an  isolated  day,  and  we  at  Redwood  Moat 
not  at  all.  The  neighborhood  wonder  greatly  and  la- 
ment, and  go  on  hoping  .he  will  settle  down.  For  me, 
I  do  not  think  I  could  bear  to  see  him  again,  and  yet  I 
must  face  the  thought,  and  that  other  thought  —  that 
some  day  he  will  marry. 

I  have  once  more  the  strange  sensation  of  waiting 
for  something,  an  extraordinary  expectancy  which  de- 
stroys my  numbed  peace.  It  grows  so  strong  at  times 
that  I  start  and  glance  eagerly  at  the  letters  when  they 
come,  I  know  not  why,  nor  what  I  exp'ect  to  find.  Al- 
gernon's summer  holidays  last  year  were  spent  yachting 
with  us  on  the  Guinevere,  and,  as  before,  as  soon  as 
Humphrey  got  away  from  Redwood  Moat,  his  temper 
and  all  improved.  I  do  not  know  anything  about  what 
it  is  which  haunts  this  place,  but  there  is  certainly  some 
sinister  influence  overshadowing  it. 

Petrov  is  a  very  large  cat  now;  he  is  six  years  old, 
but  he  still  adores  me,  and,  I  hope,  will  live  for  much 
longer,  to  comfort  me.  I  had  one  time  of  pride  and 
pure  joy,  when  I  saw  Algernon  play  at  Lords  for  Eton. 
For  those  two  days  all  sorrows  seemed  forgotten,  and 

293 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

nothing  but  a  gladness  and  exultation  filled  me  as  I 
watched  eacli  ball.  And  this  year  I  hope  it  will  happen 
again.  As  a  picture  of  splendid,  gloriously  beautiful 
youth,  Algernon  is  faultless.  His  sue  -esses  in  the  hunt- 
ing-field went  on  through  both  the  Christmas  holidays 
of  this  year  and  last,  and  now  he  is  eighteen,  and  a  man 
of  the  world!  And  this  will  be  his  1  st  year  at  Eton. 
In  the  autumn  he  is  to  go  to  Sandhurst.  Altogether, 
he  seems  to  enjoy  himself. 

He  appears  utterly  indifferent  about  women,  except 
those  chorus  ladies  whose  photographs  he  has ;  and 
often  he  gives  utterance  to  exactly  his  father's  senti- 
ments regarding  the  sex,  that  brutal  matter-of-factness 
as  to  their  uses  and  place,  which  leaves  me  cold  with 
disgust.  He  is  impervious  to  any  influence  of  man  or 
woman,  but  his  recklessly  fearless  going  in  the  hunting- 
field  is  winning  him  respect,  just  as  his  prowess  at 
cricket  does  at  Eton.  I  do  not  know  who  loves  him, 
though,  besides  myself,  and  sometimes  he  repels  even  me 
and  turns  me  to  stone. 

He  never  chases  Petrov  now ;  there  is  a  kind  of  armed 
truce  of  mutual  hatred  and  contempt  between  them. 

I  have  tried  and  tried  to  interest  him  and  obtain 
some  softening  influence  upon  him,  but  in  vain.  As  time 
goes  on,  he  grows  more  widely  at  variance  with  my 
every  point  of  view.  And  when  the  conversation  is  not 
upon  sport,  he  is  frankly  bored. 

Humphrey  dislikes  staying  away  from  home,  and  will 
only  go  for  a  shooting  visit  as  the  rarest  thing;  and 
this  last  autumn  was  again  very  much  crippled  with 
gout.  Doctor  Burnley  has  warned  him  to  be  careful 
of  himself.  His  fits  of  rage  now  leave  him  quite  pros- 
trated, and  only  a  fortnight  ago,  furious  with  a  groom 
who  had  let  down  one  of  the  horses,  he  swore  until  he 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

was  inarticulate,  and  then  had  some  sort  of  a  small  fit. 
He  was  in  bed  for  two  or  three  days,  and  I  sat  with  him 
for  hours,  holding  his  hand  and  stroking  it.  I  feel  a 
deep  and  great  pity  for  him. 

"  Guinevere,"  he  said,  after  a  long  silence,  "  I  sup- 
pose it  was  a  d d  shame  my  marrying  you  so  yoang. 

I  think  of  it  is  I  lie  here.  How  old  are  you  now,  child  ? 
Hardly  thirty- six,  and  I  am  getting  on  for  seventy. 
Well,  I  have  made  you  as  happy  as  I  can,  and,  fortu- 
nately, you  are  as  cold  as  ice." 

"  You  have  always  been  very  good  to  me,  Hum- 
phrey," I  responded,  "  and  I  want  to  do  everything  I 
can  to  make  you  happy  now." 

He  pulled  me  close  to  him  and  kissed  me. 

"  If  I'd  ever  been  able  to  make  you  love  me,  it  would 
have  been  all  different ;  but  you  couldn't  help  that,  nor 
I,  either  —  so  we  must  not  encourage  snivelling  regrets. 
I  thought  I  should  soon  teach  you  —  you  were  such  a 
chit,  and  I  had  never  had  any  difficulty  with  women. 
But  it  was  a  mistake,  and  now  everything  is  too  late." 

I  put  my  cheek  against  his  strong  old  hand,  and 
rubbed  it,  but  I  could  not  speak,  and  to  my  surprise 
his  hard  brown  eyes  grew  glistening  and,  dragging  his 
hand  away  from  me  roughly,  and  taking  a  pinch  of 
snuff,  he  seized  his  handkerchief  and  violently  blew  his 
nose. 

"  There,  get  along,  girl,"  he  said.  "  I  am  tired,  and 
shall  go  to  sleep." 

Of  what  use  are  any  soft  feelings  if  there  is  some- 
thing in  you  which  makes  you  ashamed  to  show  them 
even  to  your  nearest  and  dearest?  But  this  interview 
left  me  very  sad. 

Algernon  only  escaped  by  the  merest  chance  from 
being  expelled  from  Eton  in  the  summer  half  last  year. 

295 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

He  went  off  to  Ascot  and  was  very  nearly  caught,  and 
only  long  afterward,  at  the  end  of  the  holidays,  he 
owned  to  me  that  he  had  lost  a  good  deal  of  money  and 
was  in  a  very  unpleasant  scrape.  I  paid  it,  of  course, 
out  of  what  is  my  own,  and  he  promised  not  to  do  this 
again.  It  worried  me  greatly,  not  for  the  amount  — 
which  was,  however,  quite  enough  —  but  for  what  these 
tastes  presage  for  the  future. 

Easter  is  over  and  past;  it  fell  so  early  this  year, 
and  our  usual  spring  has  passed,  and  now  it  is  June 
again.  I  wonder  if  complete  numbness  will  ever  come 
to  me  when  the  mention  of  Hugh's  name  will  fall  upon 
my  ears  with  indifference,  when  I  can  pass  the  days 
without  repressing  my  thoughts  of  him,  when  I  can  live 
naturally,  however  quietly. 

This  evening's  post  brought  a  letter  from  Letitia. 
She  has  just  gone  back  to  London  for  the  rest  of  the 
season  after  Whitsuntide,  and  is  full  in  her  usual  round. 
The  whole  of  her  friends  and  society  generally  are  con- 
vulsed, she  says,  at  the  advent  of  one  of  the  most  lovely 
girls  any  one  has  ever  seen.  She  is  the  daughter  of  the 
penniless  and  eccentric  Lord  Catesby,  who  twenty  years 
ago  married  a  beautiful  American,  who  died  when  the 
girl  was  born.  Letitia  says  there  was  some  story  about 
the  mother  —  no  one  appears  to  remember  what  —  in 
any  case,  the  girl  has  been  brought  up  in  the  wildest 
way  among  servants  and  stable  boys  and  huntsmen,  and 
then  a  polish  of  Paris  to  finish  up. 

"  She  is  the  most  modern  creature  I  have  ever  seen," 
Letitia  writes.  "  I  should  think  there  is  nothing  of  life 
she  does  not  know.  She  is  as  beautiful  as  a  goddess  — 
tall  and  most  voluptuously  proportioned,  with  bright 
blue  eyes,  pink-and-white  skin,  and  ripe,  corn-colored 
golden  hair;  a  perfect  mass  of  frizzy  curls  everywhere, 

296 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

She  has  no  charm  —  just  a  brilliant  dash  and  ruthless- 
ness,  and  no  brains,  either;  but  she  has  an  effect  upon 
every  man  who  comes  near  her.  Freddy  Burgoyne  is 
crazy  about  her,  and  Bobby  L'Estrange,  too.  Winnie 
is  so  cross !  The  girl  interests  me  in  some  queer  way ; 
she  reminds  me  so  of  Algernon,  she  has  that  downright 
utter  want  of  sentiment  he  has.  She  is  nineteen.  Hilda 
Flint  is  taking  her  out;  they  are  second  cousins,  so  we 
all  see  a  great  deal  of  her.  She  does  not  care  in  the 
least  what  she  says,  or  does,  and  will  rattle  out  a  bete, 
impossible  thing,  making  every  one  squirm,  and  then  she 
will  laugh  and  show  all  her  row  of  perfect  white  teeth 
and  look  so  divinely  lovely  that  no  man  minds.  She 
can't  keep  a  maid,  she  has  such  fits  of  temper,  and 
Hilda  says  she  can't  speak  a  word  of  truth.  She  has 
odd  tricks,  too;  she  will  abstract  the  sugar  out  of  the 
sugar-bowls  and  munch  it  in  her  room.  She  likes  it 
better  than  bonbons,  which  her  father  has  forbidden  her 
to  have.  I  don't  know  why  I  am  writing  all  this,  Guine- 
vere, as  it  can't  interest  you,  only,  for  some  strange 
reason,  as  I  said  before,  she  reminds  me  of  Algernon,  a 
glorious  creature,  without  an  atom  of  soul." 

I  sat  a  long  time  thinking  over  this  description.  Is 
it  true,  then? — has  Algernon  no  soul?  Oh,  my  dear 
boy !  What  am  I  to  do  for  him  ?  I  am  afraid  to  look 
ahead,  because  whatever  rushing  torrent  he  plunges 
into  I  am  absolutely  powerless  to  prevent  him  —  so 
things  must  go  on. 


Hugh  has  returned  to  England.  He  is  in  London. 
Letitia  told  me  this  immediately  she  knew  it,  but  since 
then  I  have  not  heard  from  her  for  over  a  fortnight. 
Humphrey  also  told  me  that  Hugh  had  arrived;  he 

297 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

heard  it  at  the  bench,  and  there  are  great  rejoicings 
among  his  people  at  Minton  Dremont. 

"  He  will  surely  marry  now  and  settle  down,"  my 
husband  said.  "  I  suppose  he  was  hankering  after  that 
Dalison  woman — or  some  other- — men  are  often 
d d  fools." 

Oh,  what  a  poor  creature  I  am,  that  all  this  should 
give  me  such  pain  —  that  after  almost  two  years  again 
I  love  Hugh  with  the  same  intensity  as  ever,  and  his 
actions  are  of  supreme  importance  to  me;  all  my 
prayers  for  numbness  and  self-control  have  been  of  no 
avail. 

I  tell  myself  every  morning  that  I  must  face  whatever 
comes  bravely,  and  I  always  pray  for  his  happiness,  my 
dear  love  —  alas  !  no  more  to  be  my  lover.  But  the  feel- 
ing of  waiting  and  expectancy  grows  and  grows  until 
sometimes  at  night  I  pace  up  and  down  from  my  room 
to  the  turret  chamber,  backward  and  forward,  too  agi- 
tated to  sleep. 


Letitia  has  written  —  her  letter  came  by  the  first 
post,  and  before  I  opened  it  something  made  me  know  it 
contained  eventful  news.  I  read  my  other  correspond- 
ence first;  there  was  some  feverish  reluctance  to  break 
the  seal  of  her  envelope  —  but  I  did  at  last,  and  this  is 
what  I  read: 

"  I  am  telling  you  something,  Guinevere,  so  that  you 
may  not  presently  read  news  in  the  paper  which  may 
distress  you.  We  have  not  talked  of  Hugh  in  these 
years,  because,  as  your  parting  with  him  was  final,  there 
would  have  been  no  use  in  my  keeping  the  flame  alight 
by  speaking  of  him.  But  I  have  always  felt,  dear,  that 

298 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

you  have  not  forgotten  him.  Your  little  face,  Guine- 
vere, is  the  saddest  I  know;  the  whole  thing  is  a 
wretched  pain  to  look  back  upon,  and  I  wish  I  had 
never  helped  you  to  enjoy  life.  Your  dignity  and  quiet 
acceptance  of  fate  and  your  duty  have  won  my  deepest 
admiration,  darling,  and  perhaps  to  you,  in  some  way, 
the  past  has  been  worth  while.  Now  I  must  come  to  the 
point  and  tell  you  Hugh  is  changed,  and  while  he  still 
is  awfully  attractive  —  more  so  than  ever,  perhaps  — 
to  the  general  public,  he  seems  to  have  lost  that  some- 
thing which  made  him  so  dear  in  our  happy  spring- 
time. His  face  is  harder  and  more  cynical  than  it  ever 
used  to  be,  even  in  the  old  days  before  you  altered  it 
with  your  influence.  And  —  he  is  infatuated  with 
Kathleen  —  do  you  remember  the  girl  I  told  you  of, 
that  Hilda  is  taking  out  ?  —  Lord  Catesby's  daughter. 
He  dined  with  me  the  first  night  after  he  arrived,  and 
we  talked  of  his  future,  and  he  said  that  Adelaide  and 
Mrs.  Forrester-Lily,  his  younger  sister,  you  know  — 
had  never  let  him  alone  about  marrying,  and  the  whole 
situation,  with  Victor  Dremont's  son's  mesalliance,  was 
so  hateful  that  he  meant  now  to  look  about  and  find 
one  sensible  and  not  too  young,  who  would  leave  him 
alone.  We  went  on  to  the  theatre  very  late,  and  there 
in  a  box  was  Kathleen,  surrounded,  as  usual,  by  a  num- 
ber of  young  men.  I  saw  it  in  a  second,  she  struck  that 
side  of  him  which  has  slept  since  Mrs.  Dalison's  day  — 
the  brute  side  —  the  side  which,  in  fact,  she  strikes  in 
all  men.  I  would  not  introduce  him  in  the  hall  coming 
out,  and  I  got  him  to  come  back  to  supper  with  me 
alone  at  home;  but  I  knew  it  would  be  no  good.  Once 
a  woman  has  that  attraction  for  a  man,  angels  from 
heaven  could  not  stop  him.  So,  Guinevere,  I  have  just 
sat  back  and  watched  it  with  disgust,  Hilda  giving  me 
20  299 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

the  private  news  of  it  all  the  time.  The  girl  has  been 
having  an  affair  with  a  sweet  boy  in  the  Guards;  no 
one  knows  how  far  it  has  gone  or  if  they  were  secretly 
engaged,  but  the  moment  Hugh  and  his  position  and  his 
wealth  came  on  to  the  horizon,  Hilda  said  she  gnashed 
her  white  teeth,  laughed  that  metallic  laugh  of  hers, 
flashed  her  blue  eyes,  and  said : 

"  '  I  mean  to  have  this  rich  old  man.' 

"  I  am  not  sparing  you  anything,  Guinevere,  darling, 
because  I  want  your  contempt  to  cure  the  pain.  Then, 
Hilda  says,  her  cunning  has  been  too  wonderful.  She 
has  acted  the  innocent  baby,  cast  the  flashing  blue  eyes 
down  demurely,  made  everything  as  difficult  for  Hugh 
as  she  can,  and  has  brought  him  to  a  point  when  he  is 
only  waiting  for  the  chance  to  propose  to  her.  I  have 
not  heard  —  he  may  have  done  it  already  in  the  last 
three  days.  He  has  avoided  me  —  as  you  can  imagine 
—  and  I  cannot  tell  him,  in  any  case,  all  that  I  know  of 
her;  because  of  you,  my  tongue  is  tied.  So  we  are  all 
powerless,  and  must  just  watch  him  —  our  dear  old 
friend  —  going  over  the  weir.  Anything  more  unsuit- 
able than  she  will  be  in  the  role  of  a  great  lady  at 
Minton  Dremont  you  cannot  imagine,  or  any  one  in 
character  more  unsuitable  to  Hugh.  But  he  is  blind 
and  deaf,  of  course,  and  only  sees  her  white  skin  and 
her  golden  hair.  I  won't  say  any  more,  dearest.  I 
think  it  is  kindest  to  cut  straight  in  with  a  sharp  knife. 
Pull  yourself  together,  darling  little  sister,  and,  as  ever, 
come  up  to  the  scratch. 

"  All  love  and  sympathy  from 

"  Your  LETITIA." 

I  have  had  several  terrible  moments  in  my  life,  but 
these,  the  most  cruel  of  all,  produced  in  me  for  a  while 

300 


GUINEVERE'S    LOVER 

only  a  sensation  of  physical  cold.  I  shivered,  and  my 
teeth  chattered.  I  did  not  seem  to  be  able  to  think,  or 
feel  mental  pain  —  and  then  gradually  the  hideous  an- 
guish came  and  grew  intensified,  until  I  lay  in  silent 
agony  in  my  bed. 


For  the  first  time  since  my  illness  four  years  ago,  I 
was  unable  to  go  down  to  breakfast,  and  Humphrey 
actually  came  up  to  see  me  after  the  second  post  was  in, 
which  brings  the  London  papers. 

He  came  over  and  sat  on  the  bed,  and,  after  a  casual 
hope  that  I  was  all  right,  brandished  the  Times.  He 
had  the  splendid  news  to  impart  to  me,  he  said,  that 
Hugh  Dremont  was  going  to  be  married  to  Lady  Kath- 
leen Catesby  in  a  few  weeks. 

"  Isn't  it  a  good  thing,  Guinevere?  I  knew  you'd  be 
so  awfully  glad,  I  climbed  up  here  to  tell  you  at  once. 
He  has  been  thundering  quick  about  it;  he  only  landed 
in  England  less  than  a  month  ago.  Now  they  will  be 
settled  here  by  the  autumn,  and  we'll  have  some  neigh- 
bors again." 

Then  for  a  moment  my  husband's  voice  sounded  afar 
off,  and  I  was  not  sure  of  his  words  until  I  saw  him 
bending  over  me,  and  caught  a  rough,  kindly  whisper : 

"  I  say,  Guinevere,  you  do  look  pale.  I  think  I'll 
send  for  Doctor  Burnley,  my  dear." 


CHAPTER  XXIX 
AUGUST,  1910 

O-DAY  is  Hugh's  wedding-day.  It  is  full  of 
angry  showers,  with  a  high  wind  —  the  third 
of  August.  Letitia  has  written  to  me  what 
she  thinks  I  ought  to  know  about  it,  and  noth- 
ing further.  She  has  the  family  pride,  and  will  not 
admit  that  I  am  crushed  with  pain  over  this,  any  more 
than  I  will  admit  it  to  myself.  The  engagement  was 
very  brief  —  just  over  a  month  —  and  most  of  the 
time  Lady  Kathleen  was  in  Paris  getting  her  trousseau 
and  Hugh  was  seeing  to  his  affairs  and  up  at  Bransdale, 
where  he  has  decided  to  rebuild  the  house  that  was 
burned  down,  a  mile  or  two  farther  off  from  the  town. 
I^etitia,  commenting  upon  these  events,  said  in  a  letter : 
"  Hugh  is  behaving  decently  and  like  a  gentleman, 
isn't  he?  He  is  arranging  not  to  have  to  live  always 
at  Minton  Dremont.  But  he  looks  defiant.  I  do  not 
know  if  he  is  happy  or  not.  He  was  for  the  first  few 
days,  I  expect,  while  Kathleen  kept  up  the  sweetly  de- 
mure role  —  but  Hilda  says  when  she  felt  perfectly  sure 
of  him  she  dropped  it  a  little,  and  played  again  with 
Tommy  Burleigh  (the  boy  in  the  Guards),  and  that 
they,  she  and  Hugh,  had  a  frightful  row  —  and  that  is 
why  Hugh  went  off  up  to  Bransdale,  he  could  not  cope 
with  her,  and  did  not  wish  to  be  tantalized.  It  is  piti- 
fully undignified,  and  simply  scorches  us  who  know  him. 
Ada  is  too  mordantly  entertaining  over  it.  They  are  all 

302 


GUINEVERE'S    LOVER 

wild,  as  you  can  imagine,  though  they  predict  it  won't 
last  two  years.  The  most  curious  thing  about  it  is  that 
there  is  really  some  mystery  concerning  Kathleen's 
mother.  An  awfully  nice  American  man  from  Virginia 
took  me  in  to  dinner  the  other  night  at  a  party  —  just 
after  the  engagement  was  announced  —  and  we  chanced 
to  talk  of  very  old  families  and  their  continuance  in 
England,  and  he  mentioned  Hugh's  —  he  was  extremely 
interested  in  pedigrees  and  heredity  and  those  things  — 
and  I  said  that  here  was  a  case  of  two  very  old  families 
going  to  be  united,  as  Lord  Catesby's  was  simply  a  sort 
of  thing  from  the  ark.  And  his  jaw  dropped  —  and  he 
said,  absolutely  flabbergasted,  *  Do  you  mean  to  tell  me 
Sir  Hugh  Dremont  is  going  to  marry  Bella  Billwood's 
daughter  —  Good  Lord ! ' —  and  then,  when  I  asked  him 
why  he  was  so  startled,  and  what  it  all  meant,  he 
changed  the  conversation  rapidly  and  would  not  answer 
that,  but  seemed  most  anxious  to  know  when  the  wed- 
ding was  to  be.  I  felt  frightfully  interested,  as  you 
may  think." 

This  sort  of  letters  came  and  passed.  Of  what  mat- 
ter who  the  girl's  mother  was ;  of  what  matter  anything 
on  earth,  for,  since  two  o'clock  this  afternoon,  she  has 
been  Hugh's  wife,  and  they  are  now  on  their  way  to 
Paris  to  spend  their  honeymoon,  and  the  bells  are  ring- 
ing at  the  church,  and  the  flag  is  flying,  beaten  by  the 
rain,  from  the  flagstaff  at  Minton  Dremont.  Oh,  God, 
be  good  to  my  Beloved,  and  make  this  woman  a  means 
to  his  happiness,  and  give  me  strength  to  live  and  do 
that  which  is  my  duty  with  the  dignity  which  is  due  to 
my  race. 

I  did  not  go  to  the  wedding.  I  have  had  to  act  many 
things  during  these  weeks  of  anguish,  and  I  made  all 
semblance  of  joy  and  interest.  Of  what  use  would  my 

303 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

sacrifice  of  two  years  ago  have  been  if  I  had,  now  from 
my  own  hideous  suffering,  betrayed  the  situation  and 
again  aroused  suspicion  in  Algernon's  heart?  He  has 
no  illusions  upon  life  generally,  I  fear,  and  would  most 
certainly  have  drawn  some  undesirable  inference  from 
any  sign  of  shrinking  on  my  part.  So  I  made  a  pre- 
tence of  gladness,  and  talked  of  my  dress  in  these  three 
days  my  son  has  been  back  from  Eton  —  and  then  this 
morning,  when  we  were  ready  to  start,  I  allowed  myself 
to  fall  down  the  last  three  steps  of  the  great  stairs  and 
feigned  a  wrenched  ankle,  and  with  seemingly  great  re- 
luctance made  the  two  depart  for  London  without  me 
—  and  now  I  am  sitting  alone  here  in  my  turret  room  — 
and  the  angry  showers  beat  against  the  east  window 
and  drop  in  fizzing  drops  down  the  wide  chimney  upon 
the  sullen  logs  which  have  just  been  lit.  For  I  am  again 
cold  as  death. 

Do  men  ever  suffer  as  women  do?  I  think  not,  for 
they  are  free  and  can  be  up  and  doing.  They  can  fly 
far  from  the  scene  of  their  pain,  and  have  diversions. 
And  their  natures  are  different,  too ;  for  them,  the  swift 
movement  of  horses  and  the  slaying  of  beasts  give  sat- 
isfaction —  or  to  have  their  ambitions  excited  about 
politics  or  any  other  combat  in  the  arena  of  life.  And 
their  senses  can  be  pleased  by  the  beauty  of  women  that 
they  even  do  not  know,  and  with  all  these  interests  they 
can  heal  them  of  their  hurts.  But  for  such  as  I  am  — 
who  love  one  man  only  and  forever,  supremely  and 
above  all  other  things  —  the  day  he  is  wedded  to  an- 
other woman  must  contain  all  of  torture  there  is  on 
this  earth  to  know. 


It  is  the  day  after  Hugh's  wedding. 
304 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

I  heard  the  carriage  come  into  the  courtyard  from 
the  station  a  while  ago,  and  now  there  is  a  second  sound 
of  arrival  —  what  can  it  mean  ?  Humphrey  and  Alger- 
non stayed  the  night  in  London,  and  were  to  have  re- 
turned by  the  five-forty-two  train  to-day.  They  must 
be  in  the  library  —  I  wonder  why  Algernon,  at  least, 
does  not  come  up  to  see  me  and  tell  me  all  the  news. 
What  can  he  be  delaying  for?  I  think  I  will  get  up 
from  my  bedroom  sofa  and  go  down  and  find  out.  My 
ankle  does  not  hurt  in  the  least,  really  —  and  I  must 
look  interested  and  anxious  to  hear.  To  all  the  neigh- 
borhood this  marriage  is  of  vital,  thrilling  importance, 
and  excitement.  What  is  that  noise  of  whispering  be- 
yond the  screen?  Hartington's  voice  and  Parton's — • 
Ah !  God,  what  has  happened !  I  must  see. 


It  has  overtaken  us  at  length  —  the  haunting  terror 
of  this  house.  It  has  caught  them,  these  last  Bohuns, 
in  the  horror  of  its  grasp,  and  choked  the  life  out  of 
one  of  them  — 

Humphrey  is  dead.  His  death  caused  by  passionate 
rage  against  his  son. 

Oh !  for  days  and  weeks,  I  have  not  been  able  to  face 
the  thought  or  realize  the  frightful  sequence  of  events. 
Grief  and  horror  have  had  the  mastery  of  me. 

And  of  what  use  now  to  put  down  all  the  details  of 
how  my  poor  Humphrey  discovered  in  London  that 
Algernon  had  been  betting  heavily  upon  all  races  that 
he  could,  and  had  lost  over  a  thousand  pounds.  Or  of 
Humphrey's  furious  passion  in  the  train,  which  Alger- 
non missed,  leaving  him  to  come  down  alone.  All  these 
things  are  details  in  a  tragedy  that  we  can  never  forget. 

Then  of  how,  when  the  boy  did  arrive,  his  father  met 
305 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

him  in  the  hall,  and,  picking  up  a  riding  whip  when 
Algernon  would  not  answer  him,  went  in  his  rage  to 
strike  him,  there  just  in  front  of  the  suits  of  armor 
with  the  visors  lowered,  that  seem  always  to  watch  in 
sinister  mocking  the  ways  of  the  modern  world.  Alger- 
non's passion  rose,  too,  perhaps  naturally,  and  he  cried 
aloud : 

"  If  you  strike  me,  father,  I  warn  you,  I  will  kill 
you  —  keep  away !  " 

But  Humphrey  came  on,  and  as  he  raised  the  whip 
Algernon  seized  it  madly  in  his  strong  grasp.  Then 
that  same  awful  convulsion  overcame  Humphrey,  as 
once  before  when  he  was  angry  with  the  groom,  and  he 
staggered  and  fell,  striking  his  head  against  the  stone 
curb  of  the  mantelpiece,  and  there  lay  dead  upon  the 
floor.  It  was  then,  Hartington,  who  had  witnessed  this 
terrible  scene,  rushed  up  to  warn  Parton  to  keep  me 
from  the  cruel  sight,  while  they  sent  for  Doctor  Burnley 
to  know  the  worst. 

But  I  cannot  write  of  what  followed,  or  of  my  son's 
wild,  frenzied  agony  that  held  remorse  as  well  as  grief. 
They  had  not  loved  one  another  greatly  in  life ;  at  least 
Algernon  had  certainly  not  loved  his  father  —  but  to 
part  thus  forever  in  horrible  rage !  Oh,  the  tragedy  of 
it !  my  poor  boy  —  my  poor  son ! 


The  horror  of  the  days  that  followed  in  this  grim 
house  of  death  —  from  whence  Humphrey's  body  was 
carried  to  sleep  with  his  ancestors  in  the  vault  of  the 
church !  I  try  in  vain  to  banish  it  from  my  memory,  but 
never  can  I  pass  the  hall  but  my  fancy  seems  to  conjure 
up  that  great  stain  of  blood  slowly  spreading  from 
under  the  tall  oak  chair,  to  the  feet  of  one  of  the  suits 

306 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

of  armor.  It  seemed  so  real  to-day,  that  although  I 
knew  it  was  only  a  reflection  from  the  stained-glass 
emblazoned  window,  still  it  was  so  weirdly  terrible  that  I 
nearly  screamed  and  picked  up  my  skirt.  Oh !  my  poor 
Humphrey,  to  die  so !  —  how  can  your  spirit  rest  in 
peace!  How  glad  I  am  that  lately  we  had  seemed 
nearer  to  one  another,  and  I  can  feel  that  he  was  more 
contented  with  me.  His  last  words  were  kindly,  about 
my  fall  on  the  stairs:  I  am  comforted  to  remember 
that. 


It  is  October  now,  and  the  sad  days  pass  with  Alger- 
non and  Sir  John  Kaird  and  me  alone.  Soon  we  are 
leaving  this  scene  of  ghastly  misery.  But  there  were 
many  things  to  be  arranged  first.  Sir  John  is  Hum- 
phrey's executor  and  my  son's  guardian,  as  well  as  his 
godfather,  and  has  been  often  down  here  settling  papers 
and  carrying  out  instructions.  Algernon  will  be  very 
rich,  and  I  also  need  have  no  anxieties  about  the  future 
as  far  as  money  is  concerned  —  it  has  been  lavished 
upon  me.  One  sentence  in  Humphrey's  will  I  can  never 
think  of  without  bitter  tears : 

"  And  to  my  dear  wife  I  leave  " —  and  here  the  sum 
is  mentioned  — "  in  gratitude  for  her  unfailing  obedi- 
ence, patience,  and  devotion  which  I  have  sometimes  ill- 
repaid  —  that  she  may  have  peace  and  plenty  for  the 
rest  of  her  natural  life." 

Oh !  if  he  had  ever  been  tender  with  me  while  he  lived, 
my  poor  Humphrey,  how  different  it  all  could  have 
been! 

Algernon  seems  very  changed  —  the  proud,  stubborn 
spirit  in  him  has  grown  sullen  with  his  grief.  He  is 
morose  and  taciturn,  and  colder  than  ever  to  me.  It 

307 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

would  appear  as  though  now,  that  the  first  shock  is 
over,  that  he  resents  having  shown  me  his  innermost 
being,  and  would  sear  all  memory  of  emotion  between 
us.  I  have  tried  to  move  him  with  gentleness  —  I  have 
explained  that  a  wall  grows  with  silence,  and  the  sorrow 
that  hardness  brings ;  and  for  a  moment,  when  I  touch 
him  vaguely,  he  will  kiss  me  and  then  hurry  away,  and 
the  next  day  resume  his  former  manner  again. 

He  is  going  to  leave  for  Sandhurst  on  Thursday,  and 
I  am  starting  for  Italy  alone  on  Saturday  morning, 
October  the  twenty-second.  Redwood  Moat  is  to  be 
shut  up  for  a  time,  perhaps  until  Algernon's  coming  of 
age  —  in  two  years  and  a  half  from  now.  In  appear- 
ance, my  son  already  looks  over  twenty-one,  and  he 
grows  more  magnificently  handsome  as  the  days  go  on. 
I  am  so  crushed  with  sorrow  and  desolation,  one  grief 
on  top  of  another,  that  life  feels  as  though  it  were  a 
gray,  grim  sojourn  to  be  passed  through  quickly  to  an 
end. 

The  bride  and  bridegroom  return  to  their  home  to- 
morrow, and  there  are  to  be  rejoicings  at  Minton  Dre- 
mont.  But  even  this  has  not  moved  me  from  the  dull 
apathy  of  sodden  grief.  I  am  thankful  only  that  I 
shall  be  far  away  this  winter,  and  not  forced  to  witness 
Hugh's  companionship  with  his  young  wife.  As  echoes 
of  things  come  to  me,  no  matter  how  aloof  one  may  be, 
I  have  heard  that  the  Lady  Kathleen  Dremont  has  al- 
ready made  a  great  impression  upon  her  husband's  rela- 
tions, and  one  that  they  strongly  dislike  —  but  I  must 
never  allow  prejudice  to  color  my  thoughts  of  her.  I 
must  force  myself  to  try  and  think  tenderly  and  kindly 
of  this  motherless  young  girl  now  sheltering  in  the 
arms  of  my  Beloved. 

But  I  cannot  yet  bear  the  sight  of  her  in  the  room;* 
308 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

which  seem  sacred  to  me  —  or  her  flitting,  beautiful 
form  in  the  gardens  that  contain  memories  for  me  of 
all  sweetness  and  love. 

Letitia,  in  her  sensible  letters,  has  not  mentioned  the 
Dremonts.  One  can  always  count  upon  her  feeling  for 

the  fitness  of  things. 

-  *  *  #  # 

The  Friday  afternoon  has  come.  Algernon  and  Sir 
John  left  yesterday  on  their  way  to  Sandhurst,  and  I 
am  alone  this  last  day  that  I  shall  spend  here  at  Red- 
wood Moat  for  a  long  time  to  come.  Letitia's  house- 
keeper in  Cheshire  is  going  to  keep  Petrov  for  me  dur- 
ing my  absence  from  England,  and  my  dear  beast  seems 
to  know  he  is  leaving  me,  and  creeps  over  to  my  side. 

I  am  sitting  here  in  my  shrine,  with  the  curtains 
drawn  —  and  Parton  has  just  brought  me  in  some  tea. 
Outside,  the  wind  is  howling  in  a  slowly-gathering 
storm ;  it  suits  the  sad  atmosphere  of  this  house. 

And  while  I  sit  here,  as  ghosts  before  me  rise  the  pic- 
tures of  the  sequence  of  events  —  of  our  coming  to  Red- 
wood —  of  my  passionate  longing  to  live  before  it  should 
be  too  late.  Of  fate's  immediate  answer  to  my  prayer 
—  in  the  advent  of  Hugh  —  and  of  what  this  meant  to 
me.  All  things  clear  chains  of  cause  and  effect  —  even 
to  the  obligation  Letitia  felt  to  help  me  to  happiness 
from  her  former  action,  which  had  chained  my  life.  .Of 
Humphrey's  uncontrolled  tempers,  and  of  their  result 
in  the  character  of  his  son.  Of  Algernon's  hardness  be- 
cause he  was  created  in  fear  and  not  love  —  and  of  the 
haunting,  terrible  influence  of  this  abode  of  generations 
of  strong,  violent  men  —  culminating  in  tragedy  and 
yet  more  shadows  of  grim  deaths  to  stain  its  floors  with 
blood.  Oh !  to  escape  from  it  to  another  sphere  —  to 

309 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

rise  into  God's  sky  and  peace  forever !  But  I  cannot  — 
I  must  live  to  help,  at  least  by  my  prayers,  the  head- 
long career  of  my  son. 

And  what  of  Hugh,  and  the  life  which  lies  in  front  of 
him?  Will  it  be  for  him  joy  and  happiness?  Will  the 
years  bring  him  this  greatly-wished- for  heir?  Well, 
above  and  beyond  all  personal  things,  I  ask  God  to  pro- 
tect and  keep  him  —  and  to  smooth  his  path  so  that 
in  time  he  may  obtain  the  desire  of  his  heart. 

But  for  me  my  life  is  over  —  and  I  am  thirty-six 
years  old. 


Am  I  dreaming  —  dreaming  in  the  firelight?  What 
is  that  noise  far  down  upon  the  turret  stair  ?  —  the 
soft  shutting  of  the  garden  entrance  door  —  footsteps 
—  mounting,  mounting  with  never  a  stumble  in  the 
gloom.  It  must  be  some  one  who  knows  the  way.  My 
heart  beats,  but  it  is  not  in  fear.  Fear  has  no  place  in 
its  numbed  depths. 


Then  the  narrow  door  opened  noiselessly,  and  there 
stood  —  Hugh ! 


CHAPTER  XXX 
OCTOBER,  1910 

'AUNT  and  haggard  and  pitiful,  my  once  dear, 
splendid   lover   came  to   me,   and,   stopping, 
leaned  upon  the  back  of  the  great  oak  chair  — 
and  there  we  gazed  into  each  other's  eyes  with 
an  anguish  too  deep  for  tears. 

"  Guinevere,"  he  whispered  hoarsely,  "  to-morrow 
you  are  going  away,  they  tell  me,  and  there  are  things 
to  be  spoken  of  between  us  first ;  so  I  have  come  to  you 
here." 

I  did  not  answer  —  I  had  no  words  —  I  only  pointed 
to  the  chair,  and  Hugh  sank  into  it  with  a  bitter  sigh, 
and  there  was  a  long  silence.  Then  after  a  while  he 
spoke. 

"  It  is  my  punishment,  dear  love,"  he  groaned  bro- 
kenly, clasping  together  his  hands.  "  My  punishment 
for  my  rebellious  passions  to  begin  with,  and  our  pun- 
ishment, Guinevere,  for  breaking  that  bond  of  our  soul's 
union  which  should  have  been  stronger  than  laws, 
stronger  than  life  or  death.  You  had  no  right  to  send 
me  from  you,  dear  —  I  was  your  mate  and  your  lover, 
and  we  should  have  been  great  enough  to  live  as  priest 
and  nun  until  God  cleared  us  a  path.  And  now  the 
path  would  have  been  cleared,  but  I  by  my  passion  have 
erected  a  barrier  crueller  than  that  which  stood  before. 
Speak  to  me,  dearest  —  let  me  hear  your  gentle  voice 
once  more  —  or  I  shall  have  no  courage  to  go  on." 

311 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

"  Hugh,"  I  faltered  — "  my  dear,  dear  Hugh." 

"  Guinevere,  to  no  other  soul  on  earth  would  I  bare 
the  shame  and  horror  in  my  heart  —  listen  to  the  awful 
story  —  and  then  tell  me  what  to  do." 

I  leaned  forward  in  my  hooded  chair,  fixing  my  eyes 
upon  his  loved,  stern  face  —  and  there  in  the  lamplight 
I  saw  that  the  thick,  brown  hair  which  waves  back  from 
his  broad  brow  was  streaked  with  gray. 

"  I  will  not  go  all  over  the  time  after  our  separation, 
Guinevere,"  he  began.  "  It  was  the  same  as  it  had  been 
before,  only  more  cruel  —  the  same  heartbreaking  suf- 
fering and  torture  —  then  the  excitement  and  the  sport 
—  and  often  a  bitter  anger  against  fate,  and  then  grad- 
ually rebellion  and  resentment  against  the  thrall  of  your 
memory  and  the  pain.  And,  as  before,  I  crushed  all 
tender  things  —  they  hurt  the  most  —  and  I  took  life 
as  it  came  —  any  distraction  to  deaden  my  passionate 
love  for  you.  I  had  no  illusions  this  time  that  I  should 
be  able  to  come  back  and  be  friends  —  I  knew  I  had 
not  conquered  anything  —  I  was  afraid  even  to  speak 
to  Letitia  about  you  —  afraid  to  come  home.  Nothing 
was  deadened,  and  I  was  in  furious  rebellion  at  my  impo- 
tence and  my  suffering.  You  will  have  heard,  of  course, 
how  I  first  met  Kathleen  — "  here  his  voice  grew  deeper, 
and  he  paused,  as  though  the  words  would  not  come. 
"  She  is  the  most  beautiful  thing  you  have  ever  seen. 
She  maddened  me  —  that  side  of  me  which  you  always 
knew  was  there.  Nothing  really  mattered  any  more  — 
a  crust  of  cynical  hardness  was  over  my  soul  —  I  only 
felt  I  would  grasp  that  which  could  bring  me  some  tan- 
gible j  oy,  because  I  knew  I  could  never  conquer  the  wild 
ache  for  you.  I  would  not  let  myself  see  that  Kathleen 
was  brainless  and  soulless  and  utterly  untrustworthy, 
although  I  was  always  finding  her  out  in  lies.  The  other 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

attraction  was  so  strong.  I  knew  she  did  not  care  a 
rush  for  me,  but  that  did  not  deter  me  at  all,  I  only 
wanted  her  for  my  own  pleasure.  Most  women  cannot 
understand  this  side  of  a  man,  or  make  allowances  for 
it,  but  you  were  always  greater,  and  realized  it,  Be- 
loved. A  man  can  worship  one  woman  as  I  worship 
you,  and  yet  be  drawn  by  his  senses  to  another  if  his 
dear  one  is  absent  —  there  is  no  use  for  people  to  argue 
against  this,  it  is  so,  and  will  be  to  the  end  of  time." 

There  was  silence  for  a  moment,  and  then  Hugh  spoke 
once  more,  and  I  hardly  recognized  his  voice,  so  hoarse 
had  it  become. 

"  We  were  married,  you  know  —  do  you  remember 
the  day  it  was  ?  the  rain  and  the  raging  wind  —  I  felt 
intoxicated.  She  was  more  beautiful  than  the  dawn.  I 
only  desired  to  be  away  alone  with  her ;  I  had  no  other 
thought.  Well,  when  we  got  back  to  Hilda's  house  in 
Berkeley  Square,  after  the  ceremony  at  the  church,  to 
change  our  wedding  clothes  —  while  I  was  dressing, 
Carton  —  you  remember  my  servant,  Carton  —  gave  me 
a  packet. which  he  said  had  come  the  night  before,  and 
he  was  sorry  he  had  forgotten  in  the  excitement  to  give 
it  to  me  —  a  messenger  had  brought  it,  and  had  said  it 
was  imperative  that  I  read  its  contents  without  a  mo- 
ment's delay  —  Carton  could  not  be  sorry  enough,  but 
felt  I  would  forgive  him  under  the  circumstances.  It 
was  all  sealed,  and  looked  an  ominous  thing  enough.  I 
do  not  know  why  I  did  not  pitch  it  into  my  dressing 
bag,  as  most  men  would  have  done  at  such  a  time.  But 
this  was  fate  again.  I  opened  it,  and  as  the  first  words 
caught  my  eye,  I  stiffened ;  and  then  I  read  on.  I  won't 
go  into  it  all,  Guinevere,  but  just  tell  you  it  was  an 
attested  set  of  documents,  proving  that  my  beautiful 
bride  was  eighth  part  —  black  —  Oh !  God !  the  agony, 

313 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

the  horror,  the  disgust  of  that  moment  —  I  —  cannot 
tell  you  of  it,  Guinevere.  Suddenly,  tricks  of  move- 
ment came  back  to  me  —  the  flashing  of  her  eyes  —  her 
hands  —  her  too  curly,  golden  hair.  All  the  passion 
went  out  of  me,  and  a  frightful  revulsion  took  its  place. 
The  sender  of  these  documents  went  on  to  say,  being  a 
deep  student  of  evolution  and  heredity,  and  a  South- 
erner of  fine  old  family  himself,  he  felt  that  it  was  his 
duty  to  apprize  me  of  these  facts  in  time,  and  it  was 
only  that  minute  he  had  been  able  to  get  the  necessary 
documents  together  from  America  —  as  he  felt  he  could 
not  tell  me  all  this  without  proof.  He  said  he  knew  how 
one  Southern  gentleman  would  feel  to  another  about 
such  a  thing,  and  if  I,  being  an  Englishman,  did  not 
share  his  feelings,  then  no  harm  would  have  been  done  — 
but  that  if  I  did,  then  he  was  thankful  to  say  he  had 
been  able  to  warn  me  just  in  time.  Oh,  Guinevere  —  in 
time!  " 

Hugh  groaned  with  bitterness  as  he  repeated  over 
the  words  — "  in  time !  " 

I  cannot  say  what  were  the  feelings  which  came  rush- 
ing through  me  —  of  horror  and  sympathy  and  pain. 

He  pulled  himself  together  sternly  and  went  on  more 
rapidly  now : 

"  I  had  just  come  from  America,  Guinevere,  and  the 
South  —  and  I  knew  and  understood  the  sentiment  they 
have  about  such  things  there  —  and  the  writer  of  the 
letter  had  signed  his  name,  it  was  no  anonymous  corre- 
spondent —  it  was  a  name  which  I  knew,  and  which  was 
respected  and  honored  in  his  town.  I  have  always  had 
this  feeling  myself  about  niggers  and  a  strong  physical 
repulsion  as  well.  And  to  think  that  one  whose  great- 
grandmother  was  a  full  black  was  now  my  wife,  and  if 
the  marriage  went  on,  in  a  year  or  so  might  be  the 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

mother  of  my  son.  It  drove  me  perfectly  mad,  Guine- 
vere. I  reeled  with  the  sickening  irony  of  it  all.  And 
then  I  made  up  my  mind  —  I  would  be  ruthless  —  for 
no  law  or  no  other  reason  would  I  ever  make  this  woman 
my  wife  in  anything  but  name.  It  would  not  be  justice 
to  leave  her  now  practically  at  the  church  door  and  cre- 
ate a  great  scandal,  but  I  would  tell  her  the  whole  truth 
the  moment  we  were  alone  and  leave  it  to  her  to  settle 
what  she  would  do.  I  naturally  was  under  every 
obligation  to  be  kind  and  good  to  her  since  it  was 
not  her  fault,  but  with  her  father  I  would  have  a  reck- 
oning." 

I  started  to  my  feet  —  the  story  was  so  terrible,  so 
ghastly  in  its  hideous  details,  I  felt  I  must  move  or  I 
should  cry  aloud.  Hugh  looked  at  me  with  wild,  sad 
eyes,  and  then  he  said  pitifully : 

"  Ah,  Guinevere,  I  have  filled  you  with  contempt  and 
loathing,  and  no  wonder ;  but  nothing  you  can  say  to  me 
can  hurt  more  than  my  own  thoughts  —  for  I  had 
brought  it  all  upon  myself  by  passion  —  not  caring  any 
more  about  a  soul." 

"  Oh,  my  dear,"  I  faltered,  and  I  came  nearer  to  him 
and  sat  down  on  the  oak  seat,  "  I  am  not  filled  with 
anything  but  grief  for  you,  and  sympathy  —  how 
should  I  blame  you?  —  I  am  not  your  judge." 

He  covered  his  eyes  with  his  hand,  as  if  to  shut  out 
some  hateful  picture  —  and  then  he  went  on  as  though 
to  make  a  speedy  end: 

"  Well,  I  told  her  as  she  faced  me  there  in  the  saloon 
carriage,  and  throwing  herself  back  on  the  cushions, 
she  laughed  —  yes,  she  laughed !  Ah,  if  you  could  have 
heard  it,  Guinevere  —  it  was  as  the  mocking  of  a  fiend. 
She  said  she  was  glad  —  enchanted  I  had  come  to  this 
determination  —  and  grateful  to  her  old  nigger  grand- 
21  315 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

mother,  if  she  had  been  the  cause.  Her  father  had 
always  told  her  not  to  mention  this  thing  or  she  might 
never  get  a  husband,  but  that  now  she  had  secured  a 
great  position  she  was  glad  I  knew,  as  she  had  never 
cared  a  rush  for  me  and  meant  to  enjoy  her  own  life, 
which  she  was  very  well  able  to  do.  As  long  as  I  would 
give  her  lots  of  money  and  freedom,  she  would  not  have 
a  word  to  say  against  the  bargain  —  it  was  one  she 
liked. 

"  And  thus  we  started  on  our  honeymoon ! 

"  As  she  sat  there  opposite  me  in  the  train,  it  seemed 
as  though  her  golden  hair  turned  back  to  wool,  and  her 
glorious  blue  eyes  grew  jet,  her  full  perfect  lips  became 
blubber,  and  her  dazzling  skin  black  —  Guinevere,  I 
could  see  the  nigger  in  her  —  exact  —  startling  — 
terrible  —  and  a  frightful  repulsion  came  —  over 
me,  so  that  I  could  not  have  touched  even  her  gloved 
hand." 

He  got  up  and  stood  by  the  wide-open  grate,  and  he 
threw  out  his  arms  with  a  despairing  gesture,  and  then 
dropped  them  hopelessly  at  his  side. 

"  And  two  days  after,  I  heard  in  Paris  of  the  Gen- 
eral's death  —  Ah !  God  —  that  was  the  worst  of  all  — 
the  hideous,  fiendish  mockery  of  the  whole  thing  caused 
by  my  own  fault  —  I  cannot  tell  you  what  the  agony 
was  then.  And  ever  since  your  face  and  your  tender- 
ness and  your  sweetness  have  haunted  me  night  and  day 
with  frightful  stabs  of  pain  to  know  that  soon,  but  for 
my  action,  you  could  have  been  my  own.  And  now  we 
have  come  back  here  to  Minton  Dremont  —  to  our 
house,  Guinevere,  and  she  wants  to  change  it  all.  And 
everything  that  attracted  me  in  her  once  fills  me  all  the 
time  with  loathing,  and  I  can  only  see  her  faults  — 
Guinevere  —  sometimes  I  feel  I  shall  go  mad  —  and  I 

316 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

hardly  know  what  to  do,  and  it  must  go  on  and  on  until 
we  either  of  us  die,  or  until  I  can  divorce  her  or  she  me. 
A  ghastly  shame  and  torture  and  disgrace." 

I  could  not  speak  —  for  a  moment  the  misery  of  it 
silenced  my  utterance,  and  then  I  tried  to  comfort  him ; 
but  it  seemed  as  if  no  words  were  there. 

"  I  had  to  come  and  tell  you,  Guinevere  —  and  to  ask 
you  for  your  prayers,  "  he  pleaded.  "  You  are  not  a 
brute  and  a  sinner  like  I  am  —  give  me  your  prayers." 

Then  I  came  and  stood  beside  him,  and,  reaching  up, 
I  touched  his  hair. 

"  Hugh,"  I  whispered  gently,  "  go  straight  on  and 
do  your  duty  in  every  way  you  can.  Try  to  abstract 
yourself  and  create  interests  of  your  own.  Your  new 
house  at  Bransdale  —  the  hunting  —  politics  —  the 
county  —  things  for  England  —  Hugh,  do  not  let  me 
have  the  pain  of  knowing  that  grief  and  horror  are  de- 
grading you.  Dear  one,  rise  —  rise  out  of  this  abyss 
of  shame." 

He  took  my  face  in  both  his  hands  and  looked  deeply 
into  my  eyes. 

"  Guinevere,"  he  said,  with  infinite  tenderness  and 
reverence,  "  I  have  not  asked  you  if  you  love  me  still, 
because  I  know  you  are  too  pure  and  too  true  ever  to 
have  changed.  You  have  suffered  the  anguish  of  our 
severance  with  dignity  and  resignation,  and  I  have 
borne  it  like  a  brute  and  not  a  man  —  I  am  not  worthy 
to  tie  your  shoestrings,  beloved  angel  one  —  but  my 
soul  and  my  real  worship  have  never  wandered  from 
you.  I  have  only  been  unfaithful  to  you  in  those  things 
which  make  the  difference  between  the  natures  of  a 
woman  and  a  man.  And  now  I  realize  once  more  how 
little  they  all  matter  when  weighed  in  the  balance  with 
such  love  as  is  and  must  be  forever  between  you  and  me. 

317 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

I  will  not  plead  for  mercy  or  forgiveness,  beloved  heart, 
because  I  know  you  understand." 

Then  he  dropped  his  hands,  and,  taking  my  right 
one  in  his,  he  raised  it  to  his  lips. 

"  Guinevere  —  when  we  meet  again  —  as  time  goes 
on  —  I  will  try  to  show  you  that  I  am  following  your 
wishes,  but  now  I  am  glad  you  are  going  away  and 
that  I  shall  not  see  you  —  for  all  the  love  that  I  have 
ever  had  for  you  is  there  as  ever  and  a  mighty  rush  of 
passionate  worship  and  reverence  as  well.  Good-bye, 
my  Soul  —  and  give  me  your  prayers." 

He  kissed  my  hand  once  more,  and  left  me  then ;  and, 
without  looking  back,  went  down  the  stairs  into  the 
darkness  out  of  which  he  had  come. 

I  sat  listening  to  the  last  echo  of  his  footstseps  while 
I  stared  into  the  fire.  But,  as  it  was  when  he  came  and 
we  had  looked  into  each  other's  eyes  —  mine  were  still 
dry  with  an  anguish  too  deep  for  tears. 


FEBRUARY,  1912 

v-»-^  WANDERED  in  Italy   for  nearly  thirteen 

months  —  leaving  the  care  of  Algernon  to 

^.M  ^     Sir  John.     He  knows  of  all  his  tastes  and 

tendencies,  and  is  a  dear  and  kindly  old  man 

of  the  world,  and  seemed  a  more  capable  guardian,  and 

more  likely  to  have  an  influence  over  my  son,  than  I 

could  hope  to  obtain.     Sir  John  himself  suggested  this. 

"  Leave  him  to  me,  Lady  Bohun,"  he  wrote,  when  I 
proposed  returning  to  be  with  Algernon  at  Christmas 
time,  "  he  can  come  and  hunt  down  at  my  place  and 
stay  with  the  Morvaines.  He  is  so  very  restive  and 
masterful,  you  could  not  do  anything  with  him;  but 
the  point  of  view  of  others  about  him  is  our  only 
chance.  I'll  see  that  he  does  not  get  into  any  mis- 
chief." 

So  I  stayed  on  —  but  about  last  November,  just 
over  a  year  after  I  went  away,  I  felt  that  something 
was  being  kept  from  me,  and  at  length  it  came  out. 
Algernon  had  refused  any  longer  to  stay  at  Sandhurst. 
He  announced  his  intention  of  giving  up  the  idea  of 
being  a  soldier- — and  nothing  any  one  could  say  had 
any  effect  upon  him.  Even  if  he  went  into  the  Guards, 
he  argued,  their  leave  was  short,  and  they  had  to  work 
hard  —  and  as  there  were  only  one  or  two  things  he 
cared  for,  which  were  to  hunt  all  the  winter  and  play 
cricket  and  race  all  the  summer,  he  was  not  going  to  be 

319 


GUINEVERE'S    LOVER 

restricted  in  any  way  by  a  fixed  career.  He  intended 
to  return  to  Redwood  Moat  for  Christmas,  and  be  mas- 
ter there,  and  hunt  for  the  rest  of  the  season.  He  ex- 
plained, with  relentless  calmness,  that  if  Sir  John 
would  not  provide  him  with  the  necessary  money,  he 
could  easily  obtain  it  from  the  Jews,  who  had  already 
accommodated  him  with  a  few  small  loans. 

His  guardian  reasoned  and  implored,  and  tried  to 
shame  him  into  changing  his  resolution,  but  apparently 
he  sat  there  in  Sir  John's  rooms,  smoking  a  cigarette, 
perfectly  unmoved.  So,  at  last,  the  dear  old  man  wrote 
to  me. 

"  I  fear  there  is  nothing  to  be  done,  my  dear  friend. 
I  can  only  counsel  you  to  come  back  and  keep  house 
for  him,  and  by  your  gentle  influence  do  what  you  are 
able.  I  find  to  agree  to  what  he  demands,  and  then  ask 
him  to  take  things  in  moderation,  is  the  only  possible 
way.  He  is  so  hard-headed  and  —  forgive  my  saying  it 
—  so  utterly  selfish,  that  he  will  never  come  to  hopeless 
grief  about  his  money.  I  have  agreed  to  four  hunters, 
and  if  you  will  open  the  house  and  get  some  young 
people  round  him,  I  think  that  is  all  we  can  do." 

So  now,  in  February,  we  have  been  for  a  month  in- 
stalled. 

It  seems  so  strange  to  be  here  at  Redwood  Moat 
again  without  Humphrey ;  it  has  renewed  a  gentle  grief. 
My  wanderings  in  the  southern  lands  have  brought 
peace  and  quiet  to  my  heart  —  and  I  have  been  well  in 
health,  and  Letitia  says  I  have  grown  young  again. 

Of  Hugh  I  often  think  —  and  try  that  it  shall  be 
tenderly  and  lovingly,  as  of  some  one  who  is  dead  and 
gone  —  but  underneath  there  is  always  the  fear  that 
when  I  see  him,  I  shall  find  that  my  emotions  are  un- 
changed. I  have  not  fought  against  the  mastery  of  my 

320 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

love  for  him.  I  have  left  it  there  in  my  heart.  Only 
the  months  of  peace  have  given  me  an  outward  control, 
and  I  shall  endeavor  to  have  pride  enough  to  bear  all 
things  without  showing  anything  of  what  I  may  have  to 
suffer. 

Sir  Hugh  and  Lady  Kathleen  Dremont  are  coming 
back  from  Egypt  now  until  the  season  begins,  and  they 
mean  to  hunt,  the  neighborhood  says  —  and  many  tales 
have  been  poured  into  my  unwilling  ears  of  how  they 
are  seldom  together,  and  of  her  bad  manners  and  bad 
temper  —  and  of  the  irritation  and  worry  she  is  to 
him.  She  won't  be  made  to  do  any  of  her  county  duties, 
which  are  irksome  to  her,  and  flies  off  to  Paris  the 
moment  she  is  bored.  Her  father,  Lord  Catesby,  comes 
to  Minton  Dremont  to  stay  with  them  often,  almost 
whenever  they  are  there,  and  is  with  them  generally,  in 
fact;  so  I  suppose  Hugh  had  the  reckoning  with  him 
and  insists  upon  this  that  he  may  have  some  one  to  be 
always  with  Kathleen.  It  is  reported  that  Lord  Cates- 
by remonstrates  with  his  daughter  and  endeavors  to 
make  things  go  more  smoothly  along,  but  whatever  she 
may  do,  "  Sir  Hugh,"  bears  it  all  patiently,  and  has 
"  never  been  known  to  give  her  a  cross  word."  So  the 
neighborhood  gossips,  with  other  whispered  hints  of 
their  relations  together  —  and  lamentations  that  there 
will  be  no  prospect  of  an  heir. 

And  now,  any  day,  I  may  see  Hugh  again,  and  I 
must  be  prepared. 


Algernon  came  into  the  drawing-room  just  now  from 
hunting,  while  I  was  having  tea.  They  had  had  a  bad 
day,  I  knew  by  his  having  sent  home  his  second  horse 
unused  —  and  I  expected  him  to  be  morose,  as  he  often 

321 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

is  when  things  are  not  exactly  as  he  wishes  —  but,  to 
my  surprise,  he  looked  radiant  and  so  superbly  good- 
looking,  I  was  impelled  to  go  up  and  kiss  him,  a  pleas- 
ure I  rarely  allow  myself,  he  dislikes  all  caresses  so 
much.  He  looks  two-  or  three-and-twenty  now,  with  a 
little  dark  moustache,  and  his  tall,  splendid,  athletic 
figure  would  make  any  mother's  heart  proud. 

"  You  know,  mum,"  he  remarked,  munching  his 
brown  bread  and  butter,  "  old  Hugh  and  his  lady  were 
out  to-day,  and  she's  the  most  stunning  piece  of  goods 
you'd  see  in  a  month  of  Sundays,  far  better-looking 
than  even  she  was  at  the  wedding.  By  Jove,  mum,  you 
will  be  struck  when  you  see  her  —  she  is  jolly,  too,  and 
no  end  friendly.  They  only  arrived  last  night,  and  she 
insisted  upon  coming  out  at  once  —  and  her  hunter  was 
full  of  monkey  tricks,  but  she  rode  him  like  a  bird." 

"  That  is  splendid,"  I  returned,  with  sympathy. 
"  How  fortunate  that  they  both  should  like  hunting  — 
I  will  go  and  call  —  immediately." 

"  It's  not  necessary  —  old  Hugh  was  so  awfully  glad 
to  see  me,"  Algernon  interrupted,  "  and  Lady  Kathleen 
said,  wouldn't  I  persuade  you  to  come  to  lunch  to-mor- 
row and  not  stand  on  ceremony,  as  the  family  are  such 
old  friends ;  and  I  said  I  was  sure  you  would." 

So  to-morrow  I  shall  see  Hugh  with  his  wife  —  in 
the  rooms  I  love  at  Minton  Dremont. 


Oh!  the  pain  of  it!  How  can  I  go  on  bearing  such 
days  as  to-day  has  been? 

Lady  Kathleen  and  Lord  Catesby  were  in  the  morn- 
ing-room when  Algernon  and  I  arrived  at  Minton  Dre- 
mont. It  is  quite  altered  since  the  new  mistress  reigned 
there.  The  bright  chintzes  have  gone,  and  a  fresh 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

arrangement  of  odd  colors  and  a  black  carpet  have 
taken  their  place. 

She  looked  hard  at  me  as  we  shook  hands,  but  was 
polite  enough. 

No  description  of  her  beauty  has  been  exaggerated; 
she  is  a  perfect  goddess  of  health  and  exuberant  youth, 
while  her  coloring  is  too  wonderful.  But  with  the 
knowledge  of  her  parentage  the  whole  thing  for  me  is 
tainted  and  spoiled,  for  even  I  who  have  never  been  in 
the  land  where  these  blacks  abound,  now  that  I  know  of 
its  existence,  can  see  the  trace  of  their  blood  in  her. 
And  as  I  looked  in  honest  admiration  of  her  beauty,  I 
was  conscious  of  a  thrill  of  repulsion.  I  can  under- 
stand thoroughly,  though,  how  she  attracted  Hugh ;  she 
would  attract  any  man.  I  tried  my  very  utmost  not  to 
let  prejudice  affect  my  judgment  of  her  —  but  the  hard 
metallic  brilliancy  of  her  glorious  eyes  seemed  to  freeze 
me. 

She  was  perfectly  nonchalant  and  agreeable,  with  an 
air  of  being  complete  mistress  of  the  place  and  the  sit- 
uation. 

Then  the  door  opened  and  Hugh  came  into  the  room 
and  we  shook  hands.  His  dear  face  wore  a  mask,  but  I 
could  see  the  gleam  of  pain  in  his  eyes  when  for  an  in- 
stant they  met  mine. 

All  my  hard-won  calm  deserted  me.  I  felt  as  though 
I  could  have  screamed  —  cried  aloud  in  my  misery  and 
wretchedness  —  and  as  we  went  in  to  luncheon,  a  mad 
revolt  at  circumstances  overcame  me,  so  that  I 
trembled. 

Oh!  the  puppets  we  seem  in  fate's  hand! 

All  the  deep  passion  which  has  been  repressed  by 
these  years  of  control  of  myself  semed  "to  burst  its 
bonds.  I  surged  with  furious  emotion. 

323 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

Here  was  this  young  woman  mistress  of  this  house; 
even  though  her  presence  is  nothing  but  a  punishment 
to  its  master.  She  has  the  right  to  change  the  chintzes, 
and  to  sit  at  the  head  of  the  table  and  give  orders ;  and 
Hugh  and  I,  who  were  made  for  one  another,  must  dis- 
semble and  meet  as  cold  strangers  and  suffer  pain. 

For  the  first  time  in  my  life  I  felt  that  hate  and  rage 
had  the  ruling  of  me,  and  only  the  breeding  that  is  in 
me  enforced  an  appearance  of  natural  outward  beha- 
vior. The  food  choked  me,  the  wine  burnt  my  throat, 
and  every  turn  of  Kathleen's  head  and  sound  of  her 
voice  was  a  gall  to  me. 

Hugh's  demeanor  was  restrained.  He  was  icily  po- 
lite to  his  wife  and  his  father-in-law,  with  a  forced 
geniality  to  Algernon  and  me  —  but  I,  who  know  every 
line  of  his  beloved  face  and  every  look  in  his  eyes,  saw 
that  there  was  written  in  them  a  hopeless  abiding 
tragedy. 

He  announced  that  he  was  going  off  to  Bransdale 
immediately,  as  his  presence  there  was  very  necessary 
now  that  the  critical  stage  of  the  house's  completion 
had  begun.  Kathleen  wished  to  hunt,  he  remarked,  so 
would  remain  on  at  Minton  Dremont,  her  father  keep- 
ing her  company. 

"  Yes,"  she  said,  "  Hugh  seems  to  hate  being  here, 
but  I  like  it  and  don't  mean  ever  to  go  to  that  horrid 
old  Bransdale  at  all.  I  am  having  some  of  the  garden 
changed,  and  it  is  such  fun  for  me.  I  like  upsetting 
things  that  were,  and  having  everything  new,"  and  she 
laughed  a  mocking  laugh  —  then,  turning  to  Algernon 
with  a  radiant  flash  of  her  eyes : 

"  You  must  give  me  leads  out  hunting,  Mr.  Bohun. 
You  love  dashing  about,  too,  I  saw  yesterday.  I  am 
sick  of  all  the  old  people  and  their  staid  ways." 

324 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

And  as  she  spoke  I  remembered  my  own  feelings  long 
ago,  and  how  restrictions  had  fretted  me  —  and  my 
rage  calmed  a  little.  She  may  be  an  unworthy  char- 
acter, but  she  is  young  and  living  and  blooming,  and  has 
a  right  to  her  life. 

She  smokes  cigarettes  all  the  time;  she  began  one 
before  we  had  hardly  tasted  the  fruit.  Hugh  used 
always  be  so  glad  that  I  did  not  care  for  it  —  he  used 
to  say  there  was  no  use  going  against  the  tide  of  cus- 
tom, but  he  preferred  that  I  should  not  smoke.  Now 
he  did  not  seem  to  remark  what  his  wife  did  or  did  not 
do.  A  weary,  blank  indifference  was  in  his  mien  —  he 
never  even  noticed  the  frank  and  unconcealed  admira- 
tion on  Algernon's  face  or  the  interest  and  excitement 
in  his  manner  —  though  as  the  meal  went  on  it  was  so 
evident  that  when  I  realized  what  it  must  indicate  in 
comparison  to  his  general  unconcern  about  women,  I 
felt  suddenly  sick  and  cold.  This  would  be  the  cul- 
mination of  the  situation  of  misery  and  horror  if  my 
son  should  fall  seriously  in  love  with  Kathleen.  After 
lunch  Hugh  left  us  with  a  casual  good-bye  —  he  must 
ride  into  Wareford,  he  said  —  and  Algernon  and  our 
hostess  going  off  to  the  stables  to  see  her  new  hunters, 
I  was  left  with  Lord  Catesby  alone.  He  is  an  old  bore 
with  an  uneasy  manner,  and  after  a  few  minutes  I  asked 
for  the  motor  and  left ;  and  when  I  got  back  to  Redwood 
/  the  house  seemed  to  stifle  me,  so  I  wandered  out 
again  into  the  park  and  on  into  Corlston  Chase, 
and  there  paced  and  paced  among  the  bare  trees  until 
it  grew  dusk,  every  frenzied  passion  surging  in  my 
heart. 

It  had  seemed  possible  to  part  from  my  love  and 
counsel  him  to  do  his  duty  there  in  the  turret  room  a 
year  and  four  months  ago,  when  we  were  both  overcome 

325 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

and  oppressed  with  blank  misery  and  hopelessness  — 
but  now  with  the  actual  evidences  of  the  barrier  be- 
tween us  before  our  eyes,  and  the  certainty  of  meeting 
like  this  in  the  intercourse  of  our  two  families  and 
having  to  act,  it  is  not  to  be  borne.  And  yet  what  is  to 
be  done  —  I  must  stay  with  Algernon  here  at  least  until 
he  comes  of  age. 

I  felt  out  there  in  the  February  dusk  as  though  I 
understood  now  what  Hugh  had  suffered  at  Cowes  the 
night  he  threw  prudence  to  the  winds  and  made  me  go 
with  him  on  board  the  Hermione. 

Once  or  twice  a  paroxj'sm  of  furious  rebellion  over- 
came me,  so  that  I  stamped  my  feet  and  my  hands 
smashed  in  pieces  a  dry  stick  I  had  picked  up  from  the 
hedge.  All  the  restrictions  of  civilization  seemed  to 
fall  from  me.  I  was  back  at  the  bed-rock  of  primitive 
passion.  And  then  it  began  to  rain  —  steady,  soaking 
rain  —  and  at  last  I  came  back  to  this  my  home,  worn 
out  and  subdued  once  more,  but  with  a  hideous  fore- 
boding and  unhappiness  in  my  heart  that  I  am  power- 
less to  remove. 

And  now  I  am  waiting  for  my  son's  return  from  Min- 
ton  Dremont;  there  is  no  sign  of  him  as  yet,  and  it  is 
past  six  o'clock. 


Weeks  have  gone  by  and  once  more  the  presage  of 
some  terrible  trouble  hangs  over  this  unfortunate  house 
of  Redwood  Moat. 

Algernon  is  passionately  in  love  with  Kathleen.  All 
this  time  she  has  played  with  him,  and  the  horror  of 
the  situation  has  been  creeping  over  me  with  augment- 
ing force,  so  that  my  own  personal  anguish  subsides 
into  a  lesser  trouble. 

326 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

Hugh  went  off  to  Bransdale  immediately  after  the 
day  at  luncheon,  and  has  not  returned  since  except  for 
flying  visits. 

He  played  his  part  nobly  during  the  time  I  was 
abroad,  and  I  heard  of  him  when  I  first  came  back  as 
having  fulfilled  all  his  duties  with  that  generous  exact- 
ness which  made  him  so  beloved  in  the  county  of  old. 
But  now,  like  me,  perhaps,  he  cannot  any  longer  bear 
things  and  keeps  away. 

Kathleen  has  always  had  numbers  of  adorers,  but  her 
methods  with  them  all  have  been  so  ruthless  and  care- 
less that  as  yet  no  actual  scandal  has  connected  any 
one  of  them  with  her  name. 

But  Algernon  is  different  to  the  rest.  His  indomit- 
able will  and  his  extraordinary  personal  beauty,  added 
to  the  prestige  of  his  completely  fearless  riding,  give 
him  a  special  attraction,  and  I  know  and  feel  that 
Kathleen  is  no  longer  indifferent  to  him.  A  fearful 
terror  is  upon  me. 

What  they  do  out  hunting  I  cannot  say  actually; 
she  follows  where  he  leads,  I  believe  —  with  a  reckless- 
ness that  is  the  wonder  and  admiration  of  the  whole 
field.  And  what  happens  when  he  goes  to  tea  with  her 
in  the  late  afternoons  on  non-hunting  days  I  can  only 
guess.  Her  father  is  there  always,  and  frequently 
other  visitors.  I  judge  by  Algernon's  temper  when 
he  returns  if  he  has  or  has  not  been  able  to  see  her 
alone. 

Of  all  the  tragedies  which  have  beset  my  life,  the 
tragedy  of  the  thought  of  what  this  may  mean  is  the 
greatest. 

If  Hugh  should  ever  know !  If  there  should  be  some 
scandal  —  Oh!  I  cannot  face  the  frightful  possibility 
of  it  all. 

327 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

To  see  the  two  together,  Algernon  and  Kathleen, 
almost  makes  one  hold  one's  breath,  they  are  so  per- 
fectly beautiful,  and  they  have  all  the  same  tastes  and 
likings.  Both  despise  books  and  music  and  all  gentle 
things.  Neither,  it  would  seem,  has  a  belief  or  an 
aspiration  beyond  the  present  moment  and  the  pleasure 
of  the  day.  Of  sentiment  they  do  not  know  the  outside 
meaning,  or  of  tenderness  either.  Yes,  I  must  face  it 
—  they  are  mates  in  their  own  way,  just  as  were  my 
dear  lover  and  I.  But  mates,  like  brute  beasts,  might 
be  in  their  lair  —  made  to  be  happy  together  were  it 
not  for  fate's  bars. 

What  ought  I  to  do  —  Ah !  God  in  heaven  —  direct 
me  —  what  ought  I  to  do  ? 


It  is  the  last  day  of  the  hunting,  and  Kathleen  rode 
into  the  courtyard  on  their  way  home  with  my  son. 

Lord  Catesby,  who  had  been  out  with  them,  had 
gone  on,  and  Algernon  brought  Kathleen  up  to  the 
drawing-room.  I  was  in  my  turret  room  playing  the 
piano  to  soothe  my  troubled  soul,  and  did  not  know 
they  were  there  until  I  went  down  through  the  little 
library  to  pour  out  the  tea.  These  doors  open  noise- 
lessly now,  and  I  heard,  before  I  could  make  my  pres- 
ence known,  Algernon's  voice,  hoarse  and  muffled  with 
passion,  saying: 

"  If  you  dare  to  dance  with  or  speak  to  Tommy  Bur- 
leigh  at  the  races,  I'll  kill  you,  I  tell  you  —  I  will  choke 
the  life  out  of  you  both  —  you  belong  to  me  and  only 
me,  and  shall  not  even  play  with  any  other  man." 

I  reeled  against  the  book-covered  wall,  and  then  si- 
lently retreated  again  up  the  stairs  —  and  there,  in 
my  shrine  with  my  old  Petrov  sleeping  peacefully,  I 

328 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

sat  down  upon  the  west  window-seat  and  looked  out  at 
the  setting  sun  —  red  as  blood  as  it  sank  toward  the 
horizon,  in  a  lurid,  angry  sky. 

What  could  this  mean?  Only  one  thing  —  Algernon 
would  never  dare  to  speak  so  to  her  if  she  had  not  given 
him  the  right  to  do  so.  He  is,  at  least,  a  gentleman, 
and  in  society  has  now  quite  courtly  manners,  just  as 
his  father  had.  Is  he,  then,  this  beautiful  creature's 
lover?  Oh  —  Alas !  my  son,  my  son  — 

For  an  hour  or  more,  I  sat  stricken  with  horror  and 
grief,  clutching  the  old  silk  curtains.  The  relentless, 
inexorable  Nemesis  which  hangs  over  this  house  and 
this  Bohun  family  is  here  with  its  awful  shadow 
again. 

And  Hugh  and  I  broke  the  law  —  and  these  two  are 
breaking  the  law;  this  is  our  hideous  punishment,  and 
the  price  is  not  yet  paid. 

The  last  rays  of  the  sun  seemed  to  flood  the  sky  with 
blood,  and  heavy  purple  clouds  were  gathering  in  prom- 
ise of  coming  storm. 

But  I  could  arrive  at  no  resolution  as  to  what  would 
be  the  best  to  do.  I  could  not  even  decide  to  consult 
Sir  John,  who  next  week  would  be  coming  for  the  races 
and  the  usual  hunt  ball. 

Hugh  has  returned,  sometimes  for  a  Saturday^  to 
Monday  —  but  I  have  never  seen  him  except  in  church 
—  and  his  face,  as  he  has  passed  in  or  out,  has  been 
stern  with  a  blank,  weary  indifference  that  hardly  seem's 
to  take  in  the  surroundings  or  remark  events.  And 
when  most  rarely  his  eyes  have  met  mine,  he  has  averted 
them  instantly,  and  I  have  seen  the  listlessness  replaced 
by  a  quiver  of  pain. 

But  he  will  be  at  Minton  Dremont  for  the  whole  week 
of  the  races.  Oh!  God,  what  shall  I  do  —  what  shall 

329 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

I  do  ?  —  if  he  should  see  or  notice  anything  between 
Algernon  and  Kathleen? 


The  races  are  over  and  the  ball.  I  did  not  go  to 
either,  because  I  am  still  in  mourning  —  but  the  house 
was  full  of  guests  —  Lord  Burbridge  and  more  of  Al- 
gernon's friends,  and  some  Bohun  girl  cousins  and  Sir 
John  —  and  my  dear  Letitia  and  Langthorpe,  and  his 
nephew,  Henry  Germaine. 

But  I  felt  I  could  not  even  tell  Letitia  of  my  trou- 
bles —  from  me  no  living  being  shall  ever  know  of  this 
awful  thing. 

Nothing  happened  to  cause  any  scandal.  Adelaide 
and  little  Adela  were  there,  at  Minton  Dremont.  Adela 
is  now  seventeen,  and  they  were  more  or  less  of  a  family 
party,  and  Letitia  tells  me  she  hears  from  the  Essen- 
dens  and  the  people  at  Mitley,  that  on  those  occasions 
Lord  Catesby  watches  over  his  daughter,  and  gets  her 
to  behave  with  much  greater  circumspection  than  usual. 
It  seems  to  be  generally  known  now  in  the  county  that 
the  marriage  is  a  completely  empty  thing,  and  a  fail- 
ure in  all  ways  —  and  great  is  the  head-shaking  and 
shoulder-shrugging  in  consequence. 

Letitia  said,  to  see  the  two  —  Algernon  and  Kathleen 
—  dancing  one  of  these  rather  wild,  new  dances  to- 
gether, was  one  of  the  most  beautiful  sights  she  has  ever 
witnessed.  A  specimen  pair  of  glorious  young  animals, 
she  described  them  as  looking;  and  they  must  be  very 
clever,  for  even  she  has  not  the  slightest  suspicion  that 
there  is  anything  more  between  them  than  just  the  joy 
of  life  and  the  pleasures  of  their  age.  Cunning,  I  have 
heard,  is  one  of  those  black  people's  attributes  —  per- 
haps it  has  descended  to  Kathleen. 

330 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

Lord  Burbridge  and  Algernon  are  now  going  off  to 
the  Mediterranean  for  motor-boat  racing.  I  hate  the 
idea  of  the  danger,  but  anything  is  acceptable  to  get 
my  son  away  —  and  all  I  can  do  is  to  sit  still  and  wait 
events. 


22 


CHAPTER  XXXII 
JULY,  1912 

XAM  living  with  Damocles'   sword  suspended 
over  my  head,  which  any  moment  may  fall. 
Algernon  stayed  abroad  for  a  whole  month, 
perfectly  indifferent  to  any  suggestions  from 
Sir  John  or  myself.     He  has  a  motor-boat  of  his  own 
now,  and  it  provides  him  with  a  pleasurable  excitement. 
He  obtained  it  from  his  guardian  by  his  usual  threat  of 
going  to  the  Jews.    He  will  not  be  twenty-one  until  next 
March,  though  he  is  in  every  way  emancipated  and  a 
man  of  the  world. 

But  whatever  he  does  seems  of  lesser  importance  than 
his  staying  at  home  to  follow  after  Kathleen. 

They  met  in  Paris  on  his  way  back,  where  she  had 
gone  for  her  clothes,  but  Lady  Hilda  Flint  was  with 
her,  so  I  suppose  the  young  pair  were  very  careful. 
The  whole  situation  is  so  ghastly  and  appalling.  I  think, 
if  Hugh  knew,  he  would  kill  himself,  because  of  the 
frightful  point  of  Algernon's  being  my  son.  It  must 
often  have  come  to  him  that  such  a  case  would  be  more 
than  likely  to  happen.  But  what  he  thinks  now  I  do 
not  know.  He  is  so  hopeless  and  so  desperately  unhap- 
py; he  spends  his  time  in  ceaseless  work  at  Bransdale. 
Letitia,  whom  I  saw  last  week,  is  full  of  wonderment 
and  concern  at  the  whole  thing.  That  something  hap- 
pened between  Hugh  and  his  wife  after  the  marriage 
she  feels  sure,  but  what  she  does  not  know,  and  I  have 

332 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

never  told  her  of  Hugh's  coming  to  me;  and  I  have 
tried  never  to  mention  the  subject  of  the  pair,  except 
in  casual  sentences  sometimes  and  general  terms. 

"  I  believe  there  has  never  been  any  marriage  be- 
tween them  at  all,  Guinevere,"  Letitia  said.  "  Hugh 
has  a  look  of  positive  loathing  for  Kathleen  upon  his 
face  sometimes.  Lord  Catesby  watches  over  the  poor 
girl  to  such  an  extent  that  she  has  not  the  chance  to 
get  into  mischief  —  but  what  they  both  expect  will 
eventually  happen  one  cannot  guess.  Is  it  likely  such 
a  creature  as  she  is  will  go  on  long  without  a  lover! 
Whatever  there  is  between  them  it  is  abominably  hard 
on  her,  I  think.  It  is  said  Hugh  has  agreed  that  the 
moment  she  really  fancies  any  one  he  will  let  her  divorce 
him,  but  I  expect  Lord  Catesby  is  trying  to  avert  that, 
as  he  has  not  a  penny  and  Hugh  is  so  rich." 

This  aspect  of  the  case  does  not  bring  me  any  com- 
fort —  it  rather  adds  to  the  frightful  horror  of  the 
thing. 

"  I  hate  to  talk  about  them  at  all,  Letitia,"  I  told 
her,  and  she  understood  at  once  and  turned  the  sub- 
ject; but  I  gathered  that  Hugh's  old  friends  are  still 
hoping  that  they  will  get  him  back  into  the  fold  some 
day,  and  with  cynical  patience  they  await  what  they 
predict  will  be  the  turn  of  the  tide.  And  meanwhile  the 
Juggernaut  car  of  fate  rolls  on. 

Directly  after  his  return  to  England  at  the  begin- 
ning of  June,  mercifully  my  son  sprained  his  ankle  very 
badly,  and  I  stayed  with  him  for  nearly  a  month  at 
Redwood  Moat,  when  he  was  unable  to  move,  and  his 
restlessness  and  his  temper  were  like  Humphrey  over 
again. 

Nothing  of  the  sweet  tendernesses  of  lovers'  inter- 
course seems  to  be  between  himself  and  Kathleen.  Let- 

333 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

ters  do  not  appear  any  solace  to  them.  I  gathered 
from  his  conversation  during  the  time  he  was  obliged 
to  be  upon  the  sofa  that  all  those  things  are  for  him  of 
no  meaning.  But  every  Saturday  to  Monday  during 
the  time  he  was  laid  up  Minton  Dremont  saw  its  mis- 
tress. It  gives  me  such  pain  now  to  see  all  her  alter- 
ations there  that  to  have  to  enter  the  house  is  a  supplice 
which  I  endure  as  rarely  as  I  can.  And  to  have  to  go 
into  Hugh's  sitting-room  or  his  yew-surrounded  garden 
would  be  an  anguish  which  I  would  not  bear. 

Kathleen  came  over  to  Redwood  each  Sunday,  on 
one  pretext  or  another,  and  sat  with  Algernon  in  the 
downstairs  library,  where  he  spent  his  time,  and  after 
the  first  one  I  got  Sir  John  to  come  down,  and  left 
him  unconsciously  to  watch  over  them  and  make  a 
third ;  I  could  not  do  it,  knowing  what  I  know. 

On  the  first  Sunday  in  July,  when  Algernon  was  quite 
well  again,  and  had  announced  his  intention  of  going 
up  to  London  to  see  the  Eton  and  Harrow  match, 
Kathleen  and  her  father  came  down  once  more  to  Min- 
ton Dremont.  They  asked  us  to  lunch,  and  I  could 
give  no  excuse,  so  we  went  after  church.  Lord  Catesby 
detained  Algernon  in  the  dining-room  when  the  meal 
was  over,  and  I  was  left  with  Kathleen  alone. 

She  has  always  plainly  shown  me  that  she  thinks  me 
a  bore,  so,  in  a  sort  of  stiff  neutrality,  we  always  pass 
the  moments  we  have  ever  to  be  together.  Once  the 
thought  that  I  would  appeal  to  her  to  give  Algernon  up 
came  to  me,  on  the  plea  that  he  is  such  a  boy,  but  I 
dismissed  it  instantly,  because  to  appeal  to  such  a 
character  about  anything  would  be  useless. 

This  Sunday  the  usual  ordinary  remarks  were  pass- 
ing between  us,  when  she  suddenly  laughed  —  in  just 
the  same  way  that  she  must  have  laughed  to  Hugh  in 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

the  train  —  the  sound  of  it  made  me  wince.  And  then 
she  looked  with  insolent  defiance  into  my  face.  She  was 
standing  there  before  the  tall  mantel-piece  in  the  sa- 
loon and  looked  wonderfully  beautiful. 

;'  You  make  a  charming  photograph,  Lady  Bohun," 
she  remarked,  knocking  the  ash  off  of  her  cigarette 
with  her  little  finger.  "  I  think  it  is  always  best  to 
know  all  about  the  people  one  has  to  live  with,  and  I 
have  taken  care  to  know  all  about  —  my  husband  " — 
and  she  laughed  again  — "  my  precious  Hugh !  He  has 
got  a  safe  in  his  room,  but  I  have  had  plenty  of  oppor- 
tunity to  have  a  key  for  it  made  for  myself,  like  Blue- 
beard's wife,  to  amuse  myself  during  his  long  absences 
by  looking  at  what  is  inside  —  and  by  far  the  most  in- 
teresting things  there  are  your  photographs.  The  one 
lying  on  his  sitting-room  sofa  is  sweetly  intimate,  and  I 
am  sure  he  values  it  enormously.  There  are  no  letters 
—  that  would  be  too  dramatic  —  but  the  photographs 
tell  their  tale.  You  must  have  known  him  awfully  well 
in  those  days,  to  be  photographed  so  in  his  room  — 
did  you  not,  dear  Lady  Bohun?  " 

I  am  thankful  for  the  years  of  forced  outward  con- 
trol which  I  have  gone  through;  they  enabled  me  now 
to  answer  her  without  moving  a  muscle  or  the  least  fal- 
tering of  tone. 

**  Yes,  we  have  always  known  your  husband  very  inti- 
mately. I  am  so  glad  he  has  kept  those  old  photo- 
graphs —  I  would  love  to  see  them  again ;  they  would 
remind  me  of  happy  days  long  ago." 

She  looked  at  me  with  insolent  meaning,  but  I  met  her 
eyes  in  perfect  calm ;  then  she  laughed  again. 

"  I  just  thought  I'd  tell  you  —  to  give  you  a  hint 
that  I  do  not  think  you  have  much  right  to  prevent  my 
seeing  Algernon,  which  I  have  noticed  you  seem  inclined 

335 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

to  do  —  and  also  to  warn  you  that  I  mean  to  do  exactly 
what  I  please  with  him.  Only  he  is  such  a  darling 
brute  " —  and  here  she  laughed  again  — "  that  it  is 
generally  he  who  does  what  he  pleases  with  me." 

"  I  do  not  understand  at  all  about  what  you  are  talk- 
ing, Lady  Kathleen,"  I  said,  with  continued  calm.  "  I 
am  very  stupid,  and  do  not  grasp  quickly  certain  forms 
of  joke.  But  if  what  you  say  is  meant  as  an  expression 
of  interest  in  us,  and  friendly  affection  for  my  son,  I  am 
very  pleased.  There  are  so  few  young  people  in  this 
neighborhood,  I  am  sure  your  companionship  is  a  great 
boon  to  him." 

She  looked  at  me,  the  insolence  dying  out  of  her  face 
—  and  then  she  laughed  once  more,  but  this  time  there 
was  a  note  of  discomfort  in  her  merriment. 

And,  at  that  moment,  Algernon  and  Lord  Catesby 
opened  the  door  and  entered  the  room. 

I  did  not  permit  myself  to  show  the  smallest  disturb- 
ance or  —  when  Lord  Catesby  suggested  it  —  reluc- 
tance to  be  shown  the  perfection  of  the  roses  in  the  new 
rose  garden. 

"  A  caprice  of  my  daughter's  to  have  it  instead  of 
the  herbaceous  borders  that  used  to  be  here,"  the  old 
gentleman  announced  to  me,  as  we  walked  along  the 
familiar  paths,  where  the  best  of  Hugh's  and  my  ar- 
rangings  and  plantings  had  been. 

I  made  myself  converse  amiably,  and  then,  after  a 
suitable  time  had  elapsed,  I  departed  for  home,  leaving 
my  son  and  my  hostess  lying  in  two  comfortable  ham- 
mocks under  the  cedar  tree  on  the  lawn,  with  lemon 
squashes  between  them  and  a  packet  of  cigarettes. 

And  now,  when  I  came  here  to  my  turret  room  once 
again,  my  knees  suddenly  gave  way  beneath  me,  and  I 
fell  before  the  east  window  with  an  agonized  cry  to  God 

336 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

to  deliver  us  all  from  this  awful  situation,  to  avert  this 
ghastly  tragedy  from  falling  upon  these  our  two  homes 
—  and  to  bring  us  out  of  these  troubled  waters  into 
peace.  I  prayed  aloud  with  a  more  passionate  intensity 
than  I  have  ever  done  before,  my  prayer  wrenched  from 
my  tortured  heart.  And  far  away,  in  the  distance,  it 
seemed  as  though  a  low  rumble  of  thunder  answered  me. 


CHAPTER  XXXIH 
AUGUST,  1912 

are  here  at  Cowes  again.  The  second  year 
we  kftd  ^e  Guinevere  we  did  not  come  for  the 
Regatta  week,  but  ran  over  to  France  instead, 
so  my  memories  of  the  Gardens  and  the  whole 
social  aspect  of  the  place  are  of  those  days  four  years 
ago,  when  I  parted  from  Hugh. 

Langthorpe  has  taken  a  yacht  this  summer,  and  Al- 
gernon and  I  are  with  him  and  Letitia,  and  a  couple  of 
agreeable  young  men,  his  nephew,  Henry  Germaine, 
and  Freddy  Burgoyne.  Algernon  spends  his  time 
rushing  about  in  his  motor-boat.  He  is  perfectly 
reckless,  and  goes  at  top  speed  whenever  he  can.  I  do 
not  allow  myself  to  give  way  to  the  anxiety  this 
causes  me. 

Letitia  says  he  is  the  most  gorgeously  beautiful 
specimen  of  human  youth  there  can  be  in  England,  and 
that  every  woman  who  looks  at  him  is  moved  in  some 
way.  When  nothing  crosses  him  his  manners  are  now 
charming  also,  and  I  perfectly  understand  Kathleen's 
infatuation  for  him.  She  is  so  hard  and  devoid  of  senti- 
ment herself,  she  does  not  miss  it  in  him.  He  has  her 
in  complete  subjection,  and  I  believe  he  would  actually 
beat  her  if  she  disobeyed  him  or  made  him  jealous! 
They  are  two  primitive  savages  together.  She  is  here 
on  the  Hermione  with  her  father,  and  we  see  them  con- 
stantly,  and  in  the  close  intimacy  of  yachts,  I  cannot 

338 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

i 

help  observing  things.  How  the  situation  escapes  the 
notice  of  the  rest  of  the  party  is  a  marvel  to  me.  The 
hours  are  a  nightmare,  and  this  afternoon  Hugh  arrives 
for  the  week,  and  it  will  be  absolutely  impossible,  I  fear, 
for  him  not  to  perceive  something  of  the  case,  only 
there  is  so  little  tenderness  between  Algernon  and 
Kathleen.  They  seem  to  tease  one  another  and  chaff 
and  not  particularly  desire  to  be  alone,  except  they  will 
go  off  sometimes  in  an  electric  launch  Algernon  has 
hired,  and  spend  the  whole  afternoon  landed  somewhere 
by  themselves.  They  say  it  is  to  play  golf  on  one  of 
the  island  courses.  Sometimes  I  tell  myself  that  with- 
out the  key  of  what  I  know  I  should  never  suspect  any- 
thing beyond  a  boy  and  girl  friendship  and  a  similarity 
of  tastes. 

Letitia  never  having  mentioned  the  subject  comforts 
me.  Surely  she  would  have  done  so  if  she  had  remarked 
anything.  She  has  often  spoken  of  the  modern  young 
people's  ways  in  the  abstract. 

"  They  do  not  know  what  we  mean  by  love,  Guine- 
vere; I  believe,  as  an  emotion,  it  has  quite  died  out.  I 
don't  think  they  ever  talk  of  tender  things  when  they 
are  alone.  When  they  have  finished  exchanging  views 
about  golf  and  tennis,  or  whatever  game  they  play, 
they  seem  to  want  to  rush  out  and  begin  it  actively 
again.  Their  conversation  is  of  a  vapidity  which  is 
almost  incredible  to  listen  to.  They  are  absolutely 
casual  together.  '  Johnny  '  treats  *  Milly  '  as  another 
boy,  shows  her  little  more  consideration,  and  only  seems 
to  desire  her  companionship  for  his  games.  All  the 
mystery  and  the  joyous  little  pretenses  we  indulged  in 
are  completely  vieux  jeux.  I  believe  personally  the  sex 
instinct  is  dying  out  also,  killed  by  the  unrestrained 
familiarity  of  their  intercourse.  It  is  only  kept  alive 

339 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

by  the  pretty  chorus  girls  who  have  realized  the  value 
of  a  few  gentle  arts  of  enticement." 

What  does  Letitia  think  about  Algernon  and  Kath- 
leen? I  do  not  know. 

My  mind  is  in  chaos  and  I  cannot  sleep  sometimes  for 
.jthe  awful  dread. 


Letitia  and  I  and  Langthorpe  were  having  tea  in  the 
gardens  this  afternoon,  at  the  corner  where  the  grass 
suddenly  slopes  down  to  the  hedge  near  the  tent,  at  the 
outside  fringe  of  the  crowd,  when  Hugh  came  from  the 
Club-house  and  joined  us.  He  had  just  arrived.  I  was 
conscious  of  his  approach,  although  I  was  sitting  side- 
ways to  him,  and  a  profound  emotion  came  over  me. 
How  are  we  to  live  in  the  same  neighborhood,  if  this  is 
going  to  happen  always  at  the  sight  of  him?  He  is 
certainly  older-looking  —  he  is  forty-three  now,  but  his 
charm  is  as  great  as  ever.  Letitia  says  it  has  aug- 
mented because  of  his  complete  indifference  and  aloof- 
ness. And  even  among  this  company  of  distinguished- 
looking  Englishmen  he  stands  out  with  a  cachet  of  his 
own,  more  so  than  ever  with  the  gray  in  his  hair. 

His  perfect  manners  covered  the  gene  of  our  meeting, 
and  he  took  a  basket-chair  and  sent  a  waiter  for  some 
more  tea.  Then  he  began  to  talk  to  Letitia.  Brans- 
dale  was  almost  finished  and  would  be  a  comfortable 
house  in  time,  he  told  her.  "It  is  only  fair  that  I 
should  spend  half  the  year  there  now,"  he  said,  "  as  I 
have  spent  so  much  of  my  life  already  at  Minton  Dre- 
mont." 

And  then  he  asked,  not  addressing  any  of  us  espe- 
cially : 

"  Where  is  Algernon?  " 

340 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

"  Up  in  the  waterplane,  or  out  in  that  terror  of  a 
motor-boat  of  his,"  laughed  Langthorpe.  "  Algernon 
is  a  dasher  at  all  things.  Glad  he  has  not  entrapped 
Henry  into  his  tastes ;  the  pace  he  drives  that  boat  at 
is  not  safe,  and  Guinevere  here  can't  do  anything  with 
him." 

"  He  is  a  gallant  fellow,"  Hugh  returned,  "  and  a 
character.  It  is  an  awful  pity  he  would  not  stick  to 
being  a  soldier ;  he  would  have  made  a  splendid  one." 

"  If  there  had  been  any  even  distant  prospect  of  & 
war,  he  would  have,"  I  interposed  timidly.  I  had  to 
defend  my  son.  "  But  he  must  always  do  what  he 
pleases,  and  could  not  have  stood  the  routine  in  time  of 
peace." 

Hugh  turned  and  glanced  at  me,  and  then  instantly 
averted  his  eyes.  I  knew  it  was  paining  him  even  to  see 
me,  and  I  was  grateful  that  he  looked  away. 

The  mockery  of  the  whole  thing!  There  ve  sat 
amidst  this  gay,  light-hearted  throng,  chatting  merrily 
as  they  drank  their  tea  and  listened  to  the  band,  with 
a  background  of  the  yachts  at  anchor  in  the  gray, 
rough  water.  But  the  sky  seemed  in  tune  with  my 
thoughts,  so  stormy  and  cloud-covered  it  appeared. 

Presently  some  new  arrivals  came  toward  my  sister 
and  brother-in-law,  and  they  rose  to  speak  to  them, 
sitting  down  with  them  a  pace  or  two  off,  and  Hugh 
and  I  were  momentarily  left  alone. 

"  Guinevere,"  he  said  very  low,  after  a  little  silence, 
"  it  is  torture  and  hell  for  me  to  see  you  like  this. 
Nothing  is  changed  in  the  least.  I  love  you  more 
madly  than  ever.  I  came  down  here  because,  after  this 
week,  I  am  going  away  again  into  the  wilds,  and  I 
thought  it  would  look  better  to  be  seen  once  more  cas- 
ually in  civilization.  I  have  tried  to  do  as  you  told 

341 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

me,  but  it  is  a  failure.  I  cannot  get  through  the  aching 
days  with  the  knowledge  that  you  are  near  and  I  may 
not  be  with  you.  I  cannot  any  longer  bear  my  life." 

"  Nor  I  mine,  Hugh,"  I  answered  miserably.  "  I 
shall  be  glad  when  you  are  gone.  I  thought  we  were 
both  strong  last  time  when  you  came  to  see  me  in  my 
turret  room,  and  indeed  I  prayed  for  you  —  and  my- 
self. But  it  is  all  of  no  use,  and  so  it  is  better  for  you 
to  go." 

Hugh  stretched  out  his  long  legs  and  leaned  back  in 
his  chair,  looking  straight  in  front  of  him. 

"  I  shall  stay  away  until  Kathleen  has  the  marriage 
annulled.  She  can  under  the  circumstances,  for  deser- 
tion, I  suppose.  It  is  appallingly  hard  luck  upon  her 
to  be  tied  to  me,  and  if  she  should  ever  fancy  some  one 
else,  I  want  to  make  it  easy  for  her  to  get  rid  of  me." 

I  grew  cold  as  he  spoke.  If  he  only  knew  that  Kath- 
leen had  already  "  fancied  "  some  one  else,  and  that  it 
is  —  Algernon !  And  that  fact,  when  it  is  known,  will 
turn  the  barrier  that  is  now  between  himself  and  me 
into  one  that  nothing  can  ever  break  down  again  in 
this  world. 

He  saw  my  face  growing  whiter,  I  suppose,  for  he 
said  anxiously: 

"  Guinevere,  what  is  it?  Is  something  changed,  then, 
and  you  do  not  any  longer  care  so  much  for  me?  v 

"  No,  Hugh,"  I  answered.  "  Nothing  is  changed, 
nor  can  I  ever  alter  what  I  feel  for  you.  It  is  just  the 
cruelty  of  the  situation  which  weighs  upon  me  unbear- 
ably." 

"  Darling,"  he  gasped,  and  then  went  on  more 
evenly :  "  I  want  to  talk  to  you  in  peace  just  ior  this 
one  afternoon.  Come  down  through  the  little  door 
there  on  towards  the  Green.  We  will  say  aloud  to  Le- 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

titia  that  we  are  going  to  see  the  waterplanes,  and  we 
will  walk  on  right  to  the  end  of  the  parade,  where 
there  will  not  be  a  soul.  Guinevere,  do  not  refuse  me 
this  —  there  are  so  many  things  I  want  to  say  before 
I  go." 

I  rose  immediately  and  we  joined  Letitia's  group  in- 
differently, where  Hugh  made  his  announcement;  and 
then  we  strolled  down  and  out  of  the  narrow  door  on 
to  the  sea-wall,  and  so  to  the  parade. 

We  hardly  spoke  while  we  were  among  the  crowd  of 
tourists  and  sightseers,  all  coming  or  going  toward  the 
sheds  of  the  waterplanes,  and  then  presently  we  got 
beyond  all  that  and  were  practically  alone. 

"  You  know  she  has  altered  most  of  our  garden,  dar- 
ling," Hugh  said.  "  It  hurt  frightfully,  but  I  have 
made  it  a  rule  not  to  curtail  or  interfere  with  any  of 
her  wishes.  She  bargained  for  money  and  freedom,  and 
she  has  had  both.  Hardly  anything  remains  of  the 
actual  things  we  planted  together,  you  and  I,  Guine- 
vere, except  the  vine  —  the  grapes  on  it  are  splendid, 
as  I  told  you  they  would  be." 

"  I  know  it  all  scorches,  Hugh,"  I  faltered,  "  but  in 
the  big  pain  the  smaller  ones  are  swallowed  up;  we 
must  try  not  to  feel  the  lesser  hurts  any  longer." 

He  looked  down  at  me  so  tenderly,  his  dear  blue  eyes 
seeking  mine  for  comfort  as  one  who  is  starving  from 
long  abstinence,  and  then  he  spoke  again: 

"  When  I  sit  alone  in  my  sitting-room  in  the  even- 
ings —  she  never  enters  there,  thank  God !  —  I  seem  to 
realize  more  clearly  than  ever  how  perfect  you  were, 
dear  love.  All  your  understanding  of  me  —  your  in- 
dulgence towards  my  selfishness,  your  sympathy,  your 
comprehension,  your  untiring  thought  for  me  and  your 
devotion.  How  I  ordered  you  about !  And  how  utterly 

343 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

sweet  and  always  loving  you  were.  Ah!  there  is  no 
other  woman  so  gentle  and  tender  in  the  world,  Guine- 
vere. You  never  once  crossed  my  wishes  or  were  any- 
thing but  fond  and  submissive,  with  that  submission 
which  seems  as  though  it  were  lavishing  that  which  its 
own  self  desires  to  give.  I  sit  there  in  the  big  leather 
chair  and  think  of  it  all.  Do  you  remember  you  sat  in 
it  sometimes,  Beloved  One,  and  I  sat  by  your  knees  on 
the  low  seat  and  you  stroked  my  hair?  And  often  I 
seem  to  feel  with  a  quiver  the  touch  of  your  soft  fingers, 
and  it  stabs  afresh  my  heart.  We  always  talked  then 
of  the  tenderest,  most  beautiful  things,  darling,  drink- 
ing in  each  other's  souls  there  in  the  firelight.  Ah, 
Guinevere !  Then  one  day  comes  back  especially  to  my 
memory  —  do  you  remember  ?  I  had  had  a  fall,  trying 
the  new  bay  horse  over  a  hurdle,  and  my  forehead  ached 
for  a  little,  and  I  lay  upon  the  sofa  and  you  sat  at  the 
end  of  it,  and  let  me  rest  my  head  on  your  sweet  bosom 
while  you  caressed  and  petted  me,  kissing  all  the  pain 
away  and  saying  I  was  your  baby.  Guinevere,  when  I 
think  of  all  those  things  and  the  blank  desolation  there 
is  now,  I  almost  cry  aloud  in  anguish.  And  sometimes 
I  look  at  the  book-shelves  —  I  can  see  the  very  book 
we  had  been  getting  out  that  afternoon  when  I  kissed 
you  passionately  and  awoke  you  to  the  knowledge  that 
the  imperative  necessity  had  gone.  Every  volume  al- 
most is  filled  with  memories  of  you  and  your  love  and 
understanding.  Rossetti's  Sonnets  I  dare  not  touch  — 
they  cause  me  such  infinite  pain." 

Here  he  looked  away  out  to  the  melancholy  gray  sea, 
and  his  lips  quivered  as  he  spoke  again. 

"  There  is  not  an  inch  of  the  whole  room,  Guinevere, 
that  is  not  sacred  to  you  and  saturated  with  tender 
recollections.  And  in  spite  of  the  pain,  it  is  my  one 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

consolation  to  sit  there  and  dream  —  dream  as  I  used 
to  do  long  ago  of  what  it  would  be  if  you  were  there 
always,  my  loved  and  worshipped  wife  —  with  the 
thought  that  we  could  grow  old  together,  hand  in  hand, 
never  to  part  any  more."  His  voice  grew  hoarse  with 
emotion,  and  he  paused,  and  then  went  on : 

"  I  have  grown  to  know  that  nothing  else  can  really 
matter  much  when  a  man  has  passed  forty.  His  ambi- 
tions are  either  satisfied  or  worn  out ;  his  face  is  toward 
the  sunset,  not  the  meridian,  and  all  other  things  turn 
to  Dead  Sea  fruit  but  the  companionship  of  the  woman 
he  loves,  when  she  is  his  real  mate,  evenly  balanced  in 
body  and  soul;  then  that  is  the  only  abiding  happiness 
and  solace,  to  have  her  sympathy  and  tenderness  and 
understanding  to  look  forward  to  always  on  into  the 
declining  years." 

I  was  so  deeply  moved,  a  lump  grew  in  my  throat  so 
that  I  could  hardly  answer  him,  but  I  spoke  at  last,  the 
sound  of  tears  in  my  voice: 

"  Ah !  Hugh,"  I  whispered,  "  indeed  I  would  have 
loved  and  cherished  you  and  been  your  very  own,  but 
fate  decreed  it  otherwise,  and  we  are  equally  to  blame 
—  but  perhaps  it  should  comfort  us,  dearest,  to  have 
this  knowledge  that  this  is  what  we  would  both  have 
wished." 

I  said  it  with  my  heart  torn  with  misery,  knowing 
that  if  what  seems  the  inevitable  happens,  and  the 
storm-cloud  bursts,  we  can  never  meet  again  on  earth. 
But  in  the  mind  of  Hugh  I  could  see  there  was  growing 
some  unconscious  hope  that  somehow,  some  day,  he  will 
be  free  and  can  come  back  and  claim  me. 

Oh,  my  dear,  my  dear  —  the  cruel  irony  of  it ! 

"  Guinevere,  do  you  remember  the  day  we  went  to 
Eton?  —  and  the  things  we  talked  of  then,  and  how 

345 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

we  pictured  what  we  should  have  felt  like  if  Algernon 
had  been  my  son.  I  often  go  over  again  those  tender 
scenes,  darling.  And  when  a  man  has  come  through  the 
fire  of  awful  suffering  as  I  have  with  the  bitter  anguish 
of  knowing  his  present  pain  is  caused  by  his  own  action, 
it  clears  his  view  as  to  the  value  of  things.  And  I 
know  now  that  nothing  on  earth  could  ever  have  com- 
pared with  even  the  memory  of  your  true  love.  If 
Kathleen's  parentage  had  been  without  flaw,  I  should 
have  probably  been  still  more  unhappy  than  I  am,  be- 
cause I  should  have  felt  unspeakably  degraded  as  soon 
as  the  first  rush  of  passion  had  passed.  When  love  is  as 
our  love  was,  Guinevere,  a  man  can  have  no  other  mate. 
Darling,  think  of  it !  It  has  lasted  seven  years !  " 

We  were  standing  at  the  very  end  of  the  parade 
where  the  walk  stops  and  the  rocks  and  country  are 
wild  again,  and  the  westerly  wind,  rising,  blew  in  our 
faces  there  in  the  lurid  gorgeousness  of  an  angry  set- 
ting sun. 

Hugh  bent  and  again  looked  right  into  my  eyes. 

"  Guinevere,  my  worshipped  angel,"  he  pleaded,  "  say 
once  more  that  you  love  me,  that  I  may  carry  the 
blessed  words  away  with  me  into  the  wilds,  to  comfort 
me  and  speak  to  me  of  a  far-off  hope  of  glorious  things. 
Say  it,  Guinevere !  " 

"  Hugh,"  I  answered  him,  and  I  kept  my  voice 
steady,  "  I  love  you  with  every  part  of  my  being,  heart 
and  mind  and  body  and  soul,  now  and  for  everlasting." 

And  then  I  caught  my  breath  and  turned  away  — 
for  the  iron  had  entered  into  me,  and,  blinding  my  eyes, 
had  blotted  out  the  sun. 

In  a  few  days  —  in  a  few  hours,  even  —  Hugh  may 
know,  as  I  do,  that  my  son  is  Kathleen's  lover,  and  then 
for  him  and  me  there  can  only  be  an  eternal  farewell. 

346 


-. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV 

- 
AUGUST,  1912 

dined  together  on  the  Hermlone,  our  whole 
Partyj  in  honor  of  Hugh's  arrival.  In  our 
walk  back  to  the  gardens,  I  had  tried  to  speak 
of  lighter  things  to  hide  the  agony  in  ray 
heart  —  and  we  had  talked  of  Bransdale  and  what 
Hugh  had  done  there,  and  then  we  joined  Letitia  again, 
sitting  now  in  her  usual  chair  by  the  tree  on  the  steep^ 
sloping  lawn  above  the  landing  stage  —  and  Hugh  went 
off  in  his  launch  in  the  rough  water.  The  two  yachts 
were  lying  very  close  together,  or  I  do  not  think  we 
could  have  ventured  to  have  gone  to  dine;  the  inces- 
sant storms  which  have  blasted  this  summer  are  still 
going  on.  We  were  quite  splashed  with  spray,  even  in 
our  hooded  electric  launch  —  and  glad  to  be  hoisted  on 
board. 

Kathleen  was  in  full  evening  dress  —  a  most  daring 
arrangement  of  skin-tight  twisted  draperies,  showing 
every  line  of  her  glorious  figure.  She  looked  the  incar- 
nation of  voluptuous  young  womanhood,  and  the  spirit 
of  her  great-grandmother  seemed  strong  in  her  to-  j 
night;  she  flashed  her  eyes  and  undulated  in  her  move- 
ments with  a  perpetual  suggestion  of  cakewalk,  which 
she  pretended  was  caused  by  the  rolling  of  the  yacht, 
until  Algernon  whispered  something  to  her,  a  peremp- 
tory, passionate  order,  and  then  she  was  still,  throw- 
ing herself  among  the  cushions  on  the  sofa  in  the  deck- 
23  347 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

house  -where  some  of  us  were  sitting ;  the  party  was  too 
large  for  us  all  to  be  there,  so  the  rest  had  gone  below. 
Here  she  pouted  and  sulked  until  dinner  was  announced, 
and  we  all  went  down.  Hugh  had  not  yet  appeared 
from  his  cabin,  but  joined  us  in  the  saloon. 

I  had  not  seen  him  and  Kathleen  together  since  that 
day  in  February  at  lunch  at  Minton  Dremont,  except 
in  church,  when  they  could  not  speak,  and  I  saw  at  once 
that  the  situation  between  them  was  more  than  ever 
strained.  She  spent  the  time  in  hurling  ceaseless  jibes 
at  him,  or  in  whispering  j  okes  to  Henry  Germaine,  who 
was  on  her  left  hand,  and  making  every  one  at  the  table 
hideously  uncomfortable,  while  my  son's  eyes  blazed 
with  furious  passion,  and  I  knew  that  the  devil  was  in 
them  both. 

Hugh  behaved  with  great  dignity,  apparently  taking 
not  the  slightest  notice  of  her,  but  confining  his  conver- 
sation to  Letitia,  who  sat  on  his  right  hand  —  and  I, 
who  was  on  his  left,  devoted  my  whole  attention  to 
Freddy  Burgoyne.  Thus  the  dinner  went  on  and  ended 
• —  and  then  Kathleen  said  she  meant  to  dance  —  she 
had  just  learned  the  tango,  and  she  must  teach  it  to 
Algernon  and  Henry  Germaine. 

She  has  had  a  pianola  attachment  put  on  to  Hugh's 
old  piano,  and  she  insisted  upon  Langthorpe  sitting 
down  and  playing  it,  while  she  gyrated  about,  sway- 
ing her  hips,  in  the  rather  limited  space  in  the  centre  of 
the  saloon.  The  dining-table  is  at  the  side,  and  behind 
it  on  the  sofa  Letitia  and  Hugh  and  I  still  sat  with 
Lord  Catesby,  while  Freddy  Burgoyne  stood  clapping 
his  hands  to  keep  time. 

It  is  ridiculous  for  people  to  be  disapproving  or 
shocked  at  the  ways  of  this  age  —  and  youth  must  have 
its  expression;  but  never  at  any  theatre  have  I  seen 

348 


GUINEVERE'S    LOVER 

anything  so  alluringly  wicked,  or  unmistakably  sug- 
gestive, as  was  the  dancing  of  Kathleen,  while  she  prac- 
tised her  tango  with  first  Henry  and  then  Algernon. 
My  son's  eyes  swam  with  passion,  and  Hugh's  face  was 
very  pale,  and  had  on  it  an  expression  of  extreme  dis- 
gust, as  he  steadily  averted  his  gaze.  Then,  when  the 
fun  was  at  its  height,  he  rose  and,  asking  Letitia  if  she 
would  not  like  some  air,  went  with  her  out  of  the  door 
and  up  to  the  deckhouse. 

At  this,  Kathleen  turned  and  made  a  face  at  his  re- 
treating figure,  like  a  naughty  street  child,  and  Lord 
Catesby,  frowning  and  red  with  chagrin,  got  up  and 
said  something  in  her  ear.  But  her  temper  was  evi- 
dently too  excited  to  be  calmed. 

"  Why  don't  you  go  to  the  deckhouse,  too,  then, 
papa!  "  she  cried  aloud,  "  and  join  my  precious  hus- 
band if  you  don't  like  our  fun.  Lord  Langthorpe's 
the  only  darling  old  man  I  have  ever  known !  " 

Algernon  looked  uncomfortable  —  he  hates  her  to  be 
in  this  mood,  I  could  plainly  see  —  he  interposed  here, 
and  suggested  that  Langthorpe  might  be  tired  of  play- 
ing, and  that  some  lemon  squashes  would  be  a  good 
thing.  Then  Kathleen  sat  on  the  table  and  dangled 
her  feet.  The  movement  of  the  ship  was  not  very  great, 
but  she  made  the  most  of  it,  and  pretended  to  slip  off 
on  to  the  floor  —  and  while  I  answered  Lord  Catesby 
in  the  general  din  of  a  new  two-step  Freddy  Burgoyne 
had  begun  at  the  piano,  I  heard  Algernon  whisper  to 
her  fiercely  as  he  helped  her  up : 

"  Pull  yourself  together  this  minute,  darling  —  or 
I'll  make  you  —  before  them  all !  "  His  face  was  sav- 
age, and  yet  full  of  passionate  admiration  —  for  any- 
thing so  superbly  beautiful  as  the  lovely  creature 
looked,  pouting  there  on  the  floor  and  then  laughing 

349 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

and  showing  her  white  teeth,  I  cannot  imagine.  The 
whole  scene  was  one  of  horrible  pain,  and  I  determined 
to  escape  from  it,  so  pleading  the  desire  also  for  air,  I 
got  Lord  Catesby  to  take  me  up  on  deck.  There  we 
found  Hugh  and  Letitia  pacing  up  and  down,  wrapped 
in  thick  coats,  in  the  wind. 

After  a  minute  or  two,  we  four  went  back  into  the 
deckhouse,  and  from  below  could  hear  the  sounds  of 
wild  laughter,  and  now  the  rattle  of  castanets.  Evi- 
dently, the  fun  and  dancing  were  still  going  on.  Then 
presently,  flushed  and  panting,  Kathleen  and  the  three 
young  men  and  Langthorpe  appeared  at  the  bottom  of 
the  companion. 

"  I  tell  you,  I  am  not  in  the  least  afraid,"  we  heard 
her  say.  "  I  shall  go  with  you  to-morrow  to  South- 
ampton, Algernon,  in  your  Fire  Queen.  That  jolly 
Neptune  will  look  after  us,  and  we  will  show  these  old 
frumps  how  fast  we  can  rush  along.  I  will  be  ready  at 
half-past  twelve  sharp  on  the  steps  by  the  pier  —  then 
we  can  get  a  better  start  in  that  long  piece  of  smooth 
water,"  and  her  mocking  laugh  rang  out.  Hugh  rose 
from  his  seat  and  stood  on  the  top  of  the  stair. 

"  I  simply  won't  allow  you  to  go  in  this  weather, 
Kathleen,"  he  said  sternly.  "  It  is  dangerous  enough 
for  Algernon  alone,  but  with  the  responsibility  of  an- 
other passenger  —  it  is  sheer  madness  —  and,  remem- 
ber, you  cannot  swim." 

She  looked  up  wickedly  at  him. 

"  Don't  flatter  yourself  I  shall  pay  the  slightest  at- 
tention to  your  commands,  old  fidgety  darling,"  she 
laughed.  "  It  is  a  fine  time  of  day  for  you  to  begin 
taking  an  interest  in  me." 

Hugh  got  very  pale,  and  his  face  hardened  into  stone. 

"  I  absolutely  forbid  you  to  go  —  do  you  hear?  "  he 
350 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

said  icily.    "  Algernon,  I  request  you  to  help  me  by  re- 
fusing to  take  her  —  you  know  the  danger  yourself." 

Algernon  murmured  something  in  a  rather  insolent 
tone,  the  actual  words  of  which  I  could  not  hear,  and 
Letitia,  with  her  usual  tact,  diverted  the  ugly  situation 
by  asking  if  the  lemon  squashes  were  in  the  saloon ;  and 
so  a  general  move  there  was  made,  and  when  I  got  close 
to  Algernon  I  whispered  my  entreaties  to  him  not  to 
think  of  starting  to-morrow  if  the  sea  should  be  as 
rough  as  it  is  to-night  —  but  he  only  laughed  in  my 
face,  and  answered: 

"  Really,  mother,  you  are  all  such  a  set  of  wretched 
old  mollycoddles ;  I  wonder  you  don't  suggest  my  run- 
ning an  old  paddle-boat  —  thank  goodness,  Kathleen  is 
not  like  you ;  she  has  got  some  pluck." 

There  was  nothing  more  to  be  said,  I  saw ;  but  as  I 
do  not  think  Kathleen  will  dare  to  really  disobey  Hugh, 
Algernon  may  decide  to  stay  with  her  and  not  start 
alone.  I  must  comfort  myself  with  that. 

Hugh  and  I  had  hardly  exchanged  a  single  word,  but 
when  we  said  good  night  a  little  while  later,  he  held  my 
hand  for  an  instant,  and  he  whispered : 

"  I  hope  you  think,  Guinevere,  that  I  bear  it  as  well 
as  I  can." 

And  now  I  am  wide  awake,  sleep  will  not  come  —  the 
picture  of  Hugh's  unhappiness  is  haunting  me,  and  the 
defiance  on  the  face  of  my  son. 

What  will  the  morrow  bring?  Only  trouble  of  some 
sort,  even  if  they  d,o  not  go  in  the  Fire  Queen  —  all  is  at 
such  tension  I  feel  it  in  the  air,  and  Letitia  has  not  come 
to  chat  with  me  in  my  cabin,  as  is  her  wont.  She,  too,  is 
oppressed  with  the  dreadful  situation,  although  I  hope 

she  does  not  guess  the  deeper  meaning  which  I  know. 
•  *  *  *  • 

351 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

Algernon  went  off  ashore  early  this  morning  before 
I  was  up.  I  do  not  think  he  can  mean  to  take  out  the 
Fire  Queen;  it  is  a  horrible  squally  day,  and  the 
yachts  which  are  racing  must  be  having  a  miserable 
time. 

Letitia  and  I  landed  and  did  some  shopping  in  the 
town,  and  then  between  the  showers  we  sat  under  the 
tree  on  the  lawn  in  the  gardens  and  watched  the  rocking 
boats  while  we  talked  to  our  friends. 

Hugh  was  in  the  Club;  we  saw  him  pass  us  as  he 
went  in. 

"  It  was  simply  disgusting  last  night,  wasn't  it, 
Guinevere?  "  Letitia  said  to  me  at  length,  when  we  were 
left  for  a  moment  alone,  referring  to  the  subject  of  our 
last  evening,  which  she  had  ominously  avoided  until 
then. 

"  The  girl  isn't  a  lady  for  all  her  hundreds  of  Cates- 
by  ancestors  —  one  would  have  thought  it  was  a  nigger 
out  for  a  holiday,"  she  went  on.  "  But  you  have  never 
been  in  America  and  down  South,  so  you  can't  judge 
of  that,  Guinevere.  I  have,  though,  and  know  the 
blacks'  ways.  Her  movements  are  exactly  like  them. 
It  is  incredible  that  Lord  Catesby  should  have  permit- 
ted such  an  exhibition." 

"  Youth  will  express  itself.  We  must  not  be  hard  on 
her,"  I  answered.  I  did  not  want  to  talk  about  it  at  all. 
I  was  overwhelmed  enough  as  it  was  with  foreboding, 
and  preferred  to  avoid  discussing  the  remembrance  of 
last  night. 

"  It  is  appalling  for  poor  Hugh,"  Letitia  went  on 
feelingly.  "  He  tells  me  he  is  going  away  again,  and  I 
don't  wonder  at  all.  I  should  think  if  he  stayed  he 
would  shoot  himself  or  her  —  but  it  almost  serves  him 
right  for  marrying  her  —  any  one  else  could  have  seen 

352 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

the  sort  of  character  she  had ;  he  was  too  blindly  infat- 
uated, though.  I  wonder  how  it  will  end."  Then  she 
remarked  more  lightly : 

"  I  hope  Algernon  won't  become  attracted  by  her. 
I  have  thought  lately  once  or  twice  I  have  seen  some 
signs  of  it;  have  you  noticed  it,  Guinevere?  " 

Then  as  I  only  murmured  a  reply,  she  went  on : 

"  There  is  one  thing  I  am  pleased  about ;  you  and 
Hugh  seem  to  be  sensible  friends  together  at  last.  I 
was  glad  you  went  for  a  walk  with  him  yesterday;  he 
looked  so  much  happier  when  you  came  in." 

So  even  my  clear-sighted,  keen  Letitia  has  not  guessed 
anything.  I  almost  sighed  aloud  my  relief. 

"  I  wonder  what  Kathleen  is  doing  this  morning,  she 
has  not  come  ashore,  as  far  as  I  have  seen,"  I  said. 
"  Algernon  went  off  before  I  could  catch  him.  I  wanted 
to  try  and  persuade  him  to  promise  me  not  to  go  out 
in  the  Fire  Queen  —  I  don't  think  he  will  —  it  is  too 
rough,  but  he  continually  makes  one  nervous." 

Letitia  laughed. 

"  He  would  not  have  paid  the  least  attention  to  you," 
she  responded,  "  it  would  have  been  waste  of  breath. 
But  did  not  you  see  them  in  the  town;  they  passed 
when  we  were  coming  out  of  the  post-office,  he  and 
Kathleen  —  they  have  probably  gone  off  in  his  motor 
to  play  golf." 

I  cannot  say  why,  but  it  seemed  like  some  horrible 
dream  as  we  sat  there  in  the  gardens.  I  could  not 
shake  off  my  feeling  of  anxiety.  After  the  scene  last 
night  things  cannot  go  on  calmly,  and  we  have  still 
some  days  before  the  week  ends. 

At  last  I  felt  so  disturbed,  I  could  not  sit  there  and 
talk  lightly  any  longer,  and,  leaving  Letitia  with  Freddy 
Burgoyne,  who  had  just  come  up,  I  went  down  the 

353 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 


landing  stage  and,  getting  into  the  waiting  launch, 
came  back  on  board.  And  here  I  am  sitting  with  a 
vague  restlessness  upon  me  —  and  the  clock  has  just 
struck  half-past  twelve. 


Ah !  God,  how  can  I  write  it  —  the  final  agony  has 
come  —  as  the  stroke  finished,  something  seemed  to 
force  me  to  go  up  on  deck.  This  was  the  hour  fixed  for 
the  starting  of  the  Fire  Queen  —  supposing  Algernon 
was  still  determined  to  go  out.  I  got  my  glasses  and 
leant  there  on  the  rail,  scanning  anxiously  the  direction 
from  whence  the  motor-boat  would  come. 

Surely  my  son  would  not  be  so  mad  as  to  venture  — 
surely  Kathleen  would  not  dare  deliberately  to  disobey 
Hugh  for  all  her  insolent  defiance. 

I  could  distinguish  nothing  at  first,  but  as  I  watched 
I  at  last  perceived  the  long  white  thing  with  a  man  in 
it  close  by  the  pier-steps  at  the  side  of  where  the  steam- 
boats land  their  passengers.  And,  yes,  there  was  a 
woman's  figure,  all  clad  in  those  new  red  oilskins,  being 
carefully  handed  in  —  I  knew  it  was  Kathleen,  for  had 
she  not  bought  those  very  garments  with  Letitia  and 
myself  on  Monday  at  Redfern's  in  the  town,  delighting 
in  their  new  shape  and  bright  shade. 

So  she  had  disobeyed  Hugh  and  followed  her  own 
will.  I  watched  them  in  trembling  anxiety  —  the  water, 
once  they  would  be  beyond  the  shelter  of  the  castle,  was 
rough,  the  waves  beginning  to  be  crested  with  white 
foam.  It  was  absolute  madness  for  any  motor-boat  to 
attempt  going  to  Southampton  in  such  a  sea.  I  tried 
to  calm  my  terror  by  telling  myself  that  they  would 
certainly  turn  up  the  river,  not  out  into  the  Roads,  and 
I  waited  there  for  what  seemed  to  be  long  moments  — 
shivering  with  sickening  dread. 

354 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

Then  I  saw  clearly  that  the  two  were  settled  and 
Algernon  had  for  a  second  put  his  arm  round  Kathleen, 
while  his  mechanic  gave  him  some  last  directions.  I 
xiould  see  even  the  expression  upon  their  laughing,  beau- 
tiful faces  —  with  the  powerful  Zeiss  glasses,  and  then 
the  white  instrument  of  death  shot  forward  with  incred- 
ible speed,  and  before  I  could  take  a  breath  almost,  they 
passed  the  bows  where  I  stood,  and,  shooting  ahead  in 
a  cloud  of  spray,  seemed  suddenly  in  swerving  to  avoid 
a  fishing  boat  to  spring  into  the  air  and  then  turn 
downward. 

They  had  crashed  straight  into  the  Chequers  buoy. 

The  hideous,  hideous  horror  of  the  moment  —  I 
screamed  aloud,  and  then  found  myself  struggling  in 
the  arms  of  Angus  Fergusson,  the  first  mate. 

I  suppose  in  my  agony  I  had  rushed  forward  to  get 
into  the  sea. 

"  You  canna  do  anything,  me  lady,"  the  man  said 
kindly.  "  Something  must  ha'  knocked  them  out ; 
they've  gone  down  like  a  stone." 

And  it  is  thus  God  answered  my  impassioned  prayer 
to  avert  that  other  tragedy  from  falling  upon  our  two 
homes. 

Oh !  the  bitter,  pitiful  anguish  of  it  —  my  son  —  my 

<larling  son. 

*  *  *  *  * 

The  two  gloriously  beautiful  young  bodies  were  re- 
covered at  last,  clasped  together.  The  shock  must  have 
stunned  them,  for  Algernon  was  a  strong  swimmer  and 
would  certainly  have  held  up  Kathleen. 

And  they  had  no  horror  on  their  splendid  young 
faces,  superb  as  gods  in  the  dignity  of  death,  only  a 
sort  of  proud  defiance.  And  as  I  gazed  upon  them  it 
seemed  as  though  I  realized  above  all  the  agony  of  my 

355 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

grief  that  their  lot  was  perhaps  to  be  envied.  They 
had  died  together  in  the  full  zenith  of  life  and  love, 
before  any  shadows  came  to  darken  their  happiness,  and 
I  remembered  how  willingly  Hugh  and  I  would  have 
taken  their  places  on  that  night  four  years  ago  when  he 
had  wished  we  might  sink  down  into  the  blue  waters  for- 
ever, fused  together  for  eternity  in  peace. 

*  *  *  *  * 

And  now  I  am  back  at  Redwood  Moat  once  more  — 
and  my  son  has  been  laid  to  rest  beside  his  father  and 
that  long  line  of  Bohuns  in  the  family  vault  in  the 
church,  and  this  house  of  misery  and  blood  and  death 
passes  to  a  distant  cousin  now  far  away  in  a  Western 
mining-camp.  And  to-morrow  I  leave  its  dark  portals 
forever,  haunted  as  they  are  with  memories  of  anguish 
and  pain. 

Kathleen,  too,  sleeps  in  the  same  church  in  the  burial 
place  of  the  Dremonts  —  so  in  death  they  are  not 
divided  —  and  after  the  funeral  Hugh  went  straight 
off  out  of  England  upon  that  long  expedition  he  talked 
of  into  the  wilds. 

He  saw  from  the  Castle  platform  the  tragedy  of  the 
Chequers  buoy  as  I  saw  it  from  the  bows  of  the  yacht. 

So  all  is  done  and  they  rest  together,  Algernon  and 
Kathleen,  and  no  one  will  ever  know  that  the  beautiful 
young  beings  were  lovers ;  their  secret  is  locked  deep  in 
my  desolate  broken  heart. 

The  night  is  very  still,  there  is  not  a  sound,  even  of 
those  sad  voices  sighing  to  me  as  they  were  wont  to  do 
of  old  in  pitiful  meanings.  I  seem  to  be  utterly  alone. 

I  will  look  once  more  from  the  east  window  across  the 
park  to  Minton  Dremont  and  say  my  long  farewell. 


356 


GUINEVERE'S  LOVER 

All  the  clouds  which  covered  the  sky  a  while  ago  have 
disappeared,  leaving  unshadowed  blue-black  depths,  and 
over  the  dark  tree-tops  above  the  tall  chimneys  there  is 
rising  a  star,  a  pure  and  lovely  sphere  of  light,  as  once 
before  I  saw  it  rise  with  a  promise  of  hope. 

Is  it  God's  message? 

And  then  I  fell  upon  my  knees  at  the  open  window, 
and  it  seemed  as  though  a  spirit  whispered  in  my  ear : 

"  Peace  be  unto  you,  poor  sorrowful  one,  the  price  is 
paid  at  last." 

And  I  stayed  there  watching  the  tender  omen  until 
the  sky  lightened  and  I  knew  that  dawn  was  at  hand. 

The  dawn  of  a  new  day  for  Hugh  and  me. 


(S) 


THE    END 


GROSSET  &    DUNLAP'S 

DRAMATIZED  NOVELS 

Original,  sincere  and  courageous — often  amusing — the 
kind  that  are  making  theatrical  history. 

MADAME  X.    By  Alexandra  Bisson  and  J.  W.  McCon- 
aughy.      Illustrated    with    scenes   from    the    play. 
A  beautiful  Parisienne  became  an  outcast  because  her  hus- 
band would  not  forgive  an  error  of  her  youth.    Her  love  for 
her  son  is  the  great  final  influence  in  her  career.    A  tremen- 
dous dramatic  success. 

THE  GARDEN  OF  ALLAH.    By  Robert  Hichens. 

An  unconventional  English  woman  and  an  inscrutable 
stranger  meet  and  love  in  an  oasis  of  the  Sahara.  Staged 
this  season  with  magnificent  cast  and  gorgeous  properties. 

THE  PRINCE  OF  INDIA.    By  Lew.  Wallace. 

A  glowing  romance  of  the  Byzantine  Empire,  presenting 
"th  extraordinary  power  the  siege  of  Constantinople,  and 
lighting  its  tragedy  with  the  warm  underglow  of  an  Oriental 
romance.    As  a  play  it  is  a  great  dramatic  spectacle. 

TESS  OF   THE    STORM    COUNTRY.     By  Grace 
Miller  White.    Illust.  by  Howard  Chandler  Christy. 
A  girl  from  the  dregs  of  society,  loves  a  young  Cornell  Uni- 
versity student,  and  it  works  startling  changes  in  her  life  and 
the  lives  of  those  about  her.    The  dramatic  version  is  one  of 
the  sensations  of  the  season. 

YOUNG    WALLINGFORD.     By  George    Randolph 
Chester.    Illust.  by  F.  R.  Gruger  and  Henry  Raleigh. 
A  series  of  clever  swindles  conducted  by  a  cheerful  young 
man,  each  of  which  is  just  on  the  safe  side  of  a  State's  prison 
offence.    As  "  Get-Rich-Quick  Wallingford,"  it  is  probably 
the  most  amusing  expose  of  money  manipulation  ever  seen  p 
on  the  stage. 

THE  INTRUSION  OF  JIMMY.    By  P.  G.  Wode- 

house.    Illustrations  by  Will  Grefe. 
Social  and  club  life  in  London  and  New  York,  an  amateur 
burglary  adventure  and  a  love  story.    Dramatized  under  the 
title   of  "A  Gentleman  of  Leisure,"  it  furnishes  hours  of 
laughter  to  the  play-goers. 

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LAVENDER  AND  OLD  LACE. 


A  charming  story  of  a  quaint  comer  of 
New  England  where  bygone  romance  finds  a 
modern  parallel.  The  story  centers  round 
the  coming  of  love  to  the  young  people  on 
the  staff  of  a  newspaper — and  it  is  one  of  the 
prettiest,  sweetest  and  quaintest  of  old  fash- 
ioned love  stories,  *  *  *  a  rare  book,  ex- 
quisite in  spirit  and  conception,  full  of 
delicate  fancy,  of  tenderness,  of  delightful 
humor  and  spontaniety. 


A  SPINNER  IN  THE  SUN. 

Miss  Myrtle  Reed  may  always  be  depended  upon  to  write  a  story 
in  which  poetry,  charm,  tenderness  and  humor  are  combined  into  a 
clever  and  entertaining  book.  Her  characters  are  delightful  and  she 
always  displays  a  quaint  humor  of  expression  and  a  quiet  feeling  of 
pathos  which  give  a  touch  of  active  realism  to  all  her  writings.  In 
"A  Spinner  in  the  Sun"  she  tells  an  old-fashioned  love  story,  of  a 
veiled  lady  who  lives  in  solitude  and  whose  features  her  neighbors 
have  never  seen.  There  is  a  mystery  at  the  heart  of  the  book  that 
throws  over  it  the  glamour  of  romance. 

THE    MASTER'S    VIOLIN, 

A  Jove  story  in  a  musical  atmosphere.  A  picturesque,  old  Ger-. 
man  virtuoso  is  the  reverent  possessor  of  a  genuine  "Cremona."  He 
consents  to  take  for  his  pupil  a  handsome  youth  who  proves  to  have 
an  aptitude  for  technique,  but  not  the  soul  of  an  artist.  The  youth 
has  led  the  happy,  careless  life  of  a  modern,  well-to-do  young  Amer- 
ican and  he  cannot,  with  his  meagre  past,  express  the  love,  the  passion 
and  the  tragedies  of  life  and  all  its  happy  phases  as  can  the  master 
who  has  lived  life  in  all  its  fulness.  But  a  girl  comes  into  his  life — a 
beautiful  bit  of  human  driftwood  that  his  aunt  had  taken  into  her 
heart  and  home,  and  through  his  passionate  love  for  her,  he  learns 
the  lessons  that  life  has  to  give — and  his  soul  awakes. 

Founded  on  a  fact  that  all  artists  realize. 

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THE  HARVESTER 


Illustrated  by  W.  L.  Jacobs 

"The  Harvester,"  David  Langston,  fcj 
a  man  of  the  woods  and  fields,  who  draws 
his  living  from  the  prodigal  hand  of  Mother 
Nature  herself.  If  the  book  had  nothing  in 
it  but  the  splendid  figure  of  this  man,  with 
his  sure  gnp  on  life,  his  superb  optimism, 
and  his  almost  miraculous  knowledge  of 
nature  secrets,  it  would  be  notable.  But 
when  the  Girl  comes  to  his  "Medicine 
Woods,"  and  the  Harvester's  whole  sound, 
healthy,  large  outdoor  being  realizes  that 
this  fe  the  highest  point  of  life  which  has 
come  to  him  —  there  begins  a  romance> 
troubled  and  interrupted,  yet  of  the  rarest  idyllic  quality. 

FRECKLES.       Decorations  by  E.  Stetson  Crawford 

Freckles  is  a  nameless  waif  when  the  tale  opens,  but  the  way  in 
which  he  takes  hold  of  life;  the  nature  friendships  he  forms  in  the 
great  Limberlost  Swamp;  the  manner  in  which  everyone  who  meets 
him  succumbs  to  the  charm  of  his  engaging  personality;  and  his  love- 
story  with  "The  Angel"  are  full  of  real  sentiment. 

A  GIRL  OF  THE  LIMBERLOST. 
Illustrated  by  Wladyslaw  T.  Brenda. 

The  story  of  a  girl  of  the  Michigan  woods;  a  buoyant,  lovable 
type  of  the  self-reliant  American.  Her  philosophy  is  one  of  love  and 
kindness  towards  all  things;  her  hope  is  never  dimmed.  And  by  the 
sheer  beauty  of  her  soul,  and  the  purity  of  her  vision,  she  wins  from 
barren  and  unpromising  surroundings  those  rewards  of  high  courage. 

It  is  an  inspiring  story  of  a  life  worth  while  and  the  rich  beauties 
of  the  out-of-doors  are  strewn  through  all  its  pages. 

AT  THE  FOOT  OF  THE  RAINBOW. 

Illustrations  in  colors  by  Oliver  Kemp.    Design  and  decorations  by 
Ralph  Fletcher  Seymour. 

The  scene  of  this  charming,  idyllic  love  story  is  laid  in  Central 
Indiana.  The  story  is  one  of  devoted  friendship,  and  tender  self- 
sacrificing  love;  the  friendship  that  gives  freely  without  return,  and 
the  love  that  seeks  first  the  happiness  of  the  object.  The  novel  is 
brimful  of  the  most  beautiful  word  painting  of  nature,  and  its  pathos 
and  tender  sentiment  will  endear  it  to  all. 


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GROSSET&  DUNLAP'S 

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FHE   K!\D   THAT   ARE    v.xv;   THEATRICAL    HISTORY 
•»  »  ast  Essum  sssfcs  in  ssM.       Ask  fw  Onst*  *  Map's  UsT" 

WITHIN  THE  LAW.     By  Bayard  Vefller  &  Marvin  Dana. 
Illostnted  by  Wm.  Charles  Cooke. 

This  b  a  novelization  of  the  immensely  successful  play  which  ran 
for  two  years  in  New  York  and  Chicago. 

The  plot  of  this  powerful  novel  is  of  a  young  woman's  revenge 
directed  against  net  employer  who  allowed  ner  to  be  sent  to  prison 
for  three  yeaa  on  a  charge  of  theft,  of  which  she  was  innocent. 

WHAT  HAPPENED  TO  MARY.     By  Robert  Carlton  Brown. 
illustrated  with  scenes  from  the  play. 

This  is  a  narrative  of  a  yonng  and  innocent  country  girl  who  is 
suddenly  thrown  into  the  very  heart  of  New  York,  "the  land  of  her 
dreams,**  where  she  is  exposed  to  all  sorts  of  temptations  and  dangers. 

The  story  of  Mary  is  being  told  in  moving  pictures  and  played  ia 
theatres  all  over  the  world. 

THE  RETURN  OF  PETER  GRIMM.      By  David  Belasco. 
Illustrated  by  John  Raej 

This  b  a  novefization  of  the  popular  play  in  which  David  War, 
field,  as  Old  Peter  Grimm,  scored  such  a  remarkable  success. 

The  story  is  spectacular  and  extremely  rathftic  bat  withal, 
powerful,  both  as  a  book  and  as  a  play. 
THE  GARDEN  OF  ALLAH.    By  Robert  Hkhens,: 

This  novel  is  an  intense,  glowing  epic  of  the  gieat  desert,  sunlit 
barbaric,  with  its  marvelous  atmosphere  of  rastness  and  loodineea. 

It  is  a  book  of  rapturous  beauty,  vivid  in  word  painting.    The  play 
has  been  staged  with  magoiucent  cast  and  gorgeous  properties. 
BKN   HTJR.   A  Tale  of  the  Christ.    By  General  Lew  Wallace. 

The  whole  world  has  placed  this  famous  Religious-Historical  Ro- 
mance OB  Si  hciunt  ox  utCHf  i  ninffftce  which  no  other  novel  of  its  time 
has  reached,  TnedasMngof  rivalry  and  the  deepest  human  passions, 
eproduction  of  bnHiant  Roman  fife,  and  the  tense,  fierce 
of  the  arena  bare  kept  their  deep  fascination.  A  tre- 
dramatic  sorrrss. 

BOUGHT  AND  PAID  FOR.    By  George  Broadtenk  and  Arthor 
E&3  -  -v.          Illustrated  with  scenes  from  the  play. 

A  stapendovs  attainment  of  modem  marriage  which  has  created 
an  interest  OQ  the  stage  that  is  ahnost  unparalleled.  The  scenes  arc-  laid 
ia  New  York,  and  deal  with  coiMBtfasaasMivboth  the  rich  and  poor. 

Ttemterestof  the  story  tarns  on  the  day-by-day 
wnfch  show  the  young  wife  the  price  she  has  paid. 


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